Fullmetal Guyver
by Ballott
Summary: What would you do to protect the ones you love? Riza/OC. Please Read and Review, there are lemons. Based on both the anime and manga, more or less on the manga. Going through HEAVY updates and edits.
1. Chapter 1: To Challenge The Desert Devil

**Fullmetal Guyver **

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 1: To Challenge The Desert Devil Part 1**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Guyver. I do own the character of Thomas Cooper (you'll find out).**

**AN: Due to certain reasons, mainly grammatical and plot related issues, I will be re-releasing all chapters with updates and improved editing. Each chapter will be a minimum of ten pages long with the maximum being twenty. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope you keep reading. Please review, constructive criticism is more than welcome. Thank you.**

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in Italics it means it's a flash back. _Just thought I'd clear that up.

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 1

To Challenge The Desert Devil

Part 1

Not too far East, past hills of sand and rays of scorching sun, lies the small town of Lior. A town that lived it's days with little to no contact from the world outside of it's limits. Here, the inhabitants lived peacefully and carefree with one another. Neighbors knew each other by first name and did more than converse with each other, they listened and understood. One could say it was a desert paradise.

But then again, one could argue that paradise never lasts. Things seemed to fall apart at the seams after the recent unmasking of their shoddy and corrupt priest. The people soon became uncertain of just what to believe. And yet that was just the beginning of problems yet to come. Soon after, rumors began spreading of a supposed military insertion and that the two alchemists that helped "save them" were spies of the government. Everyone feared that armed men would soon arrive by the truck loads to help "stabilize" the town's current situation.

This only threw gasoline onto an already paranoid town that was ready to erupt at a moments notice. However, the people now have something greater to fear. It found it's way into town unnoticed, unheard. And it waited. It waited for the right moment to make it's self known, and it's cry for attention was heard.

Now, plagued by a creature of great darkness and unspeakable sin, the people hold onto whatever hope they have left. Night after night, people disappeared with screams being heard in the night, followed by what the locales call The Devil's Laugh. Yet even through all this despair, every day the people pray that Leto, their God, will save them. And each day someone disappears only to be found dead a few days later.

Rose knows that there is only one person who can save them. But she wouldn't dare ask him for help, not after he had completely killed her faith in what she held dearest to her. But what other choice did she have?

* * *

East City was nearing the end of a rather rainy April. This day, however, seemed as though it would be clear skies all day. Perhaps a taste of next month's weather. Unfortunately, if all of May was as hot as this evening was turning out to be then the people would be facing a rather scorching summer.

One particular lad was especially not appreciating the heat. Wearing a long red coat didn't help matters either. Ed wiped the sweat from his forehead as he trudged through the hallways, the humidity bearing down on him. Ed was looking forward to his weekend off from work so that he could spend time doing something he felt wasn't a complete waste of his time. Just as he was about leave the building, Mustang called him back into his office.

"Great, now what does he want?" Ed grumbled to himself. Ed, with Al by his side, trudged into Col. Mustang's office to see him sitting on the edge of his desk. In front of him stood a man Ed had never seen before. The two conversed as if they were old friends. Mustang then took notice that the Elric brothers had just stepped foot inside.

"Ah, here he is." Roy pleasantly acknowledged. "You have a call waiting for you." Roy motioned towards the phone on his desk. Ed looked at the phone that was left off the receiver. He picked it up.

"Hello?" Ed sighed, the annoyance and boredom heavy in his voice.

"Ed?" said a quiet voice. Ed almost jumped at the familiarity of the sound. It had felt like ages since he had last heard her quiet docile tone. And even though he knew it was her, he couldn't believe it.

"Rose? Is that you?" Ed said dumbfounded.

"Yeah . . . it's me." She replied. Ed was shocked and perplexed, she was the last person he would have expected to call him. "Ed? Are you still there?" Rose asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm still here. So what's up?" Ed asked awkwardly while trying to think of something to say.

"Ed, I . . . I need your help." She hesitantly murmured. The fear and sadness she had been experiencing as of late was painfully obvious in her voice.

"Her voice . . . is she crying?"Ed thought to himself.

"Rose what's wrong?" Ed asked.

"Something's happening and . . . I didn't know who else to turn to." She cried as her voice turned into choking sobs. Ed couldn't help but picture her sitting at home, tears falling down her face and landing on her dress. The image made Ed grip the phone tightly.

"Rose . . . I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hang on." Ed said fiercely and hung up the phone, slamming it onto the receiver.

"Brother, what's going on? Did I hear you say Rose?" Al asked.

"We're going back to Lior, Al." Ed stated firmly.

"Well isn't that convenient." Roy pleasantly commented as he crossed his arms.

"Convenient? What are you going on about?" Ed asked.

"I'm glad you asked. Elric, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Thomas Cooper." Roy said as he gestured to the man standing beside him. Ed analyzed him from head to foot. He was a tall guy, Ed guessed somewhere around six feet, and looked to be around thirty years old. He had short blonde hair and wasn't wearing a uniform like everyone else. Instead he was wearing a black leather jacket with a gray under shirt and his pants matched the color of his jacket, however they looked like a denim material. And slung over his shoulder was a brown leather satchel. He looked at Ed, Ed looked at him, and then Ed looked at back Mustang.

"Cooper here is going to be your escort." Roy said to Ed.

"An escort? I don't need a baby sitter, Colonel; we've been to Lior by ourselves." Ed said. Cooper let out a small chuckle that was followed by a small smirk.

"You're right, he is headstrong." Cooper said. Ed glared at Mustang. "But I've worked with worse."

"He's not coming with us." Ed stated strictly.

"This isn't a request Fullmetal. Besides, you'll need him. Trust me." Roy said leisurely as he sat down behind his desk with a big grin on his face.

* * *

Ed sat beside his brother, staring at the man sitting in front of him. The three of them had boarded the two thirty train heading far East. As Ed sat there, Roy's words echoed through out his mind. Ed knew Mustang was up to something. But he couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew was that it involved Lior and the Lieutenant sitting before him.

"I'll need him? What the hell is he talking about?" Ed thought to himself. Lt. Cooper sat comfortably in his seat, his eyes fixated on the scenery that passed by.

"Lt. Cooper, can I ask you something?" Al asked nervously, breaking the silence.

"Go ahead. And you can stop with the Lieutenant stuff. Just call me Tommy." He replied in a soft and gentle voice. Not once did his eyes part from his sightseeing.

"Okay Lieuten – I mean, Tommy. I wanted to ask you why Col. Mustang ordered you to escort us to Lior. It's not like this is the first time we've been there." Al pointed out. The question pulled Tommy's gaze away from the sights speeding outside the window. He looked curiously at the suit of armor. Al couldn't help but notice that he had unnaturally blue eyes, kind of like how his own eyes were unnaturally white.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Ed chimed in.

"I hate to brake it to you boys, but Mustang didn't order me to come with you. See, I was already on my way over here and just dropped in to say hi to Roy. I asked if he wanted to tag along and give me a hand. He declined, said something about paperwork. That's when you walked in. So really, the only reason I'm here with you is because Roy thought we'd make for a good team." Tommy explained simply. Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"When I get back I'm going to-" Ed rambled something after that but no one could make out what he said.

"Easy there kiddo, If you're going to get mad, don't get mad at Roy." He said, his voice still soft and calm.

"You just got done explaining to me that he's the reason I have a babysitter! Why shouldn't I be pissed at him?" Ed asked, still fuming. Tommy reached into his satchel and removed a large folder out from it, handing it over to Ed. He looked at it curiously for a moment. Ed quickly opened it and found a bunch of newspaper clippings, reports, and photos. Ed started to read aloud one of the newspaper clippings that caught his eye.

"Several eye witnesses stated that they saw a strange creature with sharp claws and teeth climb up the side of a thirteen story building and enter an open window. Shortly after its entry, multiple screams were heard coming from inside. When investigated by local officers, what was found could only be described as a massacre as the bodies of two men and four women were found literally ripped to pieces, as if by some sort of wild animal." Ed stopped reading and looked at Tommy with confusion.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Roy wants me out here to keep an eye on you two while I take care of some business." He stated calmly. Ed returned his eyes to the pages before him and read on, his brother joining him. Whatever this thing was, Ed found that it had killed dozens of more people. And each kill had been more grotesque and inhuman than the last. It only took one photograph for Ed to slam the folder shut and hand it back to Tommy in disgust.

"Put this away before I get sick." Ed growled through gritted teeth.

"Green, huh? I figured as much." Tommy replied. Ed glared at him. Ed had only heard the term tossed around once or twice but he knew what it meant. Rookie, inexperienced, soft; take your pick.

"Who exactly are you? And what is this thing?" Al asked with a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"I'm just a soldier who has a little more on his plate than others. As for what this thing is, I wish I knew. I've been tracking it for at least two months and I still have no idea what it is. But if I had to take a guess I'd say it's human. Or at least it was at one point in time." His words were calm and collective.

"You expect me to believe a man did this? From what you've shown me, it looks like you're after some kind of animal! I mean, the facts are all right here. Hell, one of the articles even stated that some of the victims had bite marks on them!" Ed responded, looking at him in shock. Tommy reached into his satchel once more and took out a large folded map.

"Yeah, well we kept a few details out of the papers. Like that the door leading to the crime scene was locked and that someone had forced it open with a sharp object. Now how many vicious and blood thirsty animals do you know of that can pick locks?" Tommy replied in a sarcastic tone. He then opened the map to reveal small red dots on various locations.

"Are these the places it's been sited?" Al asked looking at the map. Spread across the map were ten dozen red dots that covered a good portion of the eastern and south eastern areas just outside of Amestris.

"Yeah. So far he's been content with staying outside the Amestris border, rarely going past it. The farthest he's gone was New Optain. He's stayed out of Central so far but I'm not sure how long that will last."

"New Optain's only a few days travel from Central, if he was heading that way why did he turn back?" Al asked. All the while Ed's rage was beginning to boil.

"I think it's because he unintentionally killed someone and was spotted. He most likely didn't want people, mainly me, to know where he was."

"Dammit!" Ed yelled as he slammed his fist into his arm rest. "Those negligent bastards! Why the hell hasn't the military done anything about this?" Ed erupted furiously. Tommy quickly shot him with a cold glance that put out Ed's rage. Slowly, Ed sunk into his seat and piped down. Ed had never seen a man's eyes turn so cold so fast.

"Negligence has nothing to do with the matter at hand, Edward. I have been well informed about who you are so I am well aware of your quasi-rebellious attitude. Now believe me when I say that I don't blame you, the military isn't exactly friends with everyone. But what you have to realize, Ed, is that we have been trying. No one single man is to blame. I've been working my ass off and so is everyone else that's involved, but it's tough. This guy . . . this guy's not normal. He's not like the rest. Include the fact that we don't have many people working on this case – I was lucky enough to let you guys in on it – and you're looking at a nearly impossible task." Tommy stated calmly, his eyes still giving off that same icy glare. Ed and Al gave each other a quick glance and looked back at Tommy.

"This case, it's not exactly open knowledge, is it?" Al asked.

"No. No it's not." Tommy replied. The ice in his eyes was gone.

"Besides us, who else knows?" Ed asked.

"Roy, obviously. That team of his is clueless as to what he's involved with. Then there's King Bradley and a couple other higher ups. Various State Alchemists as well."

"I see. And I'm guessing that you aren't allowed to tell us what group of the military you belong to, right?" Ed said quietly.

"Until I get permission from Roy I'm not to say a word." Tommy replied.

"Got it. So if this thing does stick with it's usual pattern where do you think he'd be now?" Ed asked, changing the subject.

"If the pattern continues from where it was last seen that means it headed East. And if I'm right then that means -" Al suddenly let out a small, worried cry. Ed turned his head and saw him looking at the map. His big body shook, the metal of the armor rattling against itself.

"Al? What's wrong?" Ed asked as he looked closer at the map . His eyes widened with intense fear at the name that met his gaze.

"That means . . . he's in Lior!" Al cried fearfully. Both of the boys quickly looked at Tommy.

"That's right, he's been there for a few days now. Today was the first I heard of this news. Him being there is only half of the problem, however. The other half is that this thing has a certain sexual preference." Tommy stated.

"W-what do you mean?" Al asked nervously, fearing the answer. Tommy looked at both of them very sternly. The ice in his eyes had returned.

"I mean . . . he likes the cute, pretty girls who can't defend themselves." His voice was just as stern and cold as his gaze. Al's mind instantly started to think of the worst. Ed's heart beat quickened in pace. Tommy just sat back and stared out the window. All they could do for now was wait. Wait, and hope that they weren't too late.

* * *

The train could only take the boys so far. You can't exactly build train tracks in an ever shifting sea of sand. They had to trade the train ride in for a rough cab ride the rest of the way. During their trek through the desert, Ed and Al started to study all of Lt. Cooper's notes on the creature, trying to figure out some way to stop it. However, it did little to help. The collective information within the folder was either nothing more than eye witness accounts or forensic evidence that lead no where.

When they were finished learning all they could, they found another section of the folder entitled 'Dark Hero'. The two brothers shared a curious glance and then decided to read on. Inside were more newspaper clippings and photos, along with what looked like hand drawn images of a strange looking armored being. Ed read one of the clippings aloud.

"Mysterious armored vigilante strikes again, this time stopping a gang of rebel arms dealers." Ed looked at Tommy. "Another thing the military wants you to take care of?"

"I'm more or less an adviser when it comes to that case. Roy is the man in charge and is dealing with that one. He just wants my opinion on the matter." Tommy stated as a small smile spread across his lips. Ed was too busy looking at other newspaper clippings to notice. But Al saw it.

"Oh really? And why is that? Is this Dark Hero guy causing problems?" Ed asked.

"More like solving problems. The Dark Hero is doing more good than any other military officer will ever hope to do. He gives hope to people and I like that, that's why I turned the case down. But sadly the military doesn't like the spot light being taken from them and they want the Colonel to deal with him. I personally feel he should be left alone before anyone gets hurt." His smile disappeared.

"Here we are fellas." The cab driver said as he pulled over. They exited the vehicle and Tommy was treated to a fine sight. He had never seen Lior before but so far he liked what he saw. It may have been a desert city but it looked nice enough. It was a simple place with simple and average people. A large community just doing what they can to survive. It almost made Tommy home sick. When the boys retrieved their things from out of the cab, Tommy and Al noticed that they were being approached by someone, a young girl.

"Rose!" Al cried excitedly. A kind of weight was lifted from Al upon seeing that she was safe. Tommy shared a similar feeling. The last thing he wanted was another corpse on his hands.

"Hi Al." She said in a timid voice. Tommy took in her appearance. She was a tiny little thing. She was taller than Ed, but not by much. Her hair was odd too, it had streaks of a pinkish red in the front but the rest was a dark brown. Cute though, Tommy couldn't deny that. By now Ed was well aware that Rose had arrived. He walked up to her, stood beside his brother, and smiled nervously. She didn't say anything and ignored him. Rose noted Tommy's presence.

"Hello." She said to him in a kindly manner.

"Ma'am, it's nice to meet you. I'm Tommy Cooper." Tommy replied cheerfully. She looked at him from head to toe.

"I take it your one of Ed's friends?" She asked.

"Well I actually don't know him very well, we just met today."

" . . . You should consider yourself lucky." She mumbled with spite in her voice. She said it just loud enough for Ed to hear.

"Rose . . . I-" Ed started.

"Save it! I don't want to hear it. It's bad enough that I had to resort to calling you for help." She snapped, cutting him off. Tommy looked at the both of them in confusion. Rose calmed herself down.

"You'll have to excuse my behavior. I'm not all too happy about having to call Ed here. Him and his brother aren't exactly welcome in these parts." Rose explained.

"Uh, it's no problem . . . I think. Anyhow, if you don't mind I'd like to talk to you about certain aspects of our situation." Tommy said trying to shift gears. Rose nodded and led them over to a small diner. Once they were inside, Tommy sat everyone down at a table that was the farthest away from the other patrons of the establishment. The inside of the diner was lowly lit, a total of four hanging lamps dangled from the ceiling, giving the place just enough light to see. Four people were seated inside: a man and woman, who Tommy assumed was his wife, an older man eating by himself, and a hunched over, hooded figure that sat in the corner of the room by himself.

Tommy then carefully explained the situation to Rose. She found it hard to believe but when she heard she may be in danger she soon adjusted to Tommy's explanation as to what had been going on. He then laid down a large map of the area on the table.

"He could be anywhere in the city, so looking for him won't be easy." Tommy stated.

"One of your notes stated that he never comes out during the day?" Al asked.

"That's right. We think it's because he's nocturnal and that the sunlight hurts his eyes. He also usually hides out in vacant or rundown buildings. Places nobody goes."

"Good luck finding a place like that here. Almost all the buildings here are occupied with small families and a few shops and stores." Rose pointed out. Tommy looked over the map carefully, his eyes scanning each individual building, and spotted something.

"What's this building here?" Tommy asked pointing at the map.

"That's the church." Rose answered morosely. Tommy looked at her briefly. It seemed that their was bad blood between her and the holy building.

"Does it have a basement?" he continued.

"Yes." Rose said as she quirked an eye brow. Tommy pondered the idea forming in his head.

"What? What is it?" Al wondered upon seeing the puzzled look on Tommy's face.

"There was one time. He only did it once, but . . . one time I discovered him hiding out in a school that was still in use. I'm positive that he was desperate then and it's possible that he's desperate now. If that's the case then the church is where we'll start." Tommy said confidently. He looked at Ed and saw the dull expression on his face. "Say, could you two get us something to drink?" He asked Al and Rose.

"Sure thing Lieutenant. I mean – Tommy." Al said. Rose nodded and they both got up. When they were out of ear shot Ed spoke up.

"I'm not thirsty." He grumbled.

"Yeah, I know you're not." Tommy acknowledged. Ed looked at him curiously. "What's wrong kiddo; you haven't said a word since you and her had that little talk outside." he said as he gestured towards Rose.

"It's nothing." he grumbled.

"Bullshit. Now spill, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just . . ." He looked at Rose delicately. "She hates me for what I did, says she doesn't want to see me again. Yet she calls me here to help her and now that I am here she looks at me like I just killed her dog or something. I just don't get her."

"Oh . . . I see what's going on." Tommy said, the realization clear in his voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"You like her don't you?" Tommy asked with a smirk and an elbow nudge to Ed's arm. Ed's face went bright red.

"Kind of . . . maybe . . . oh I don't know. I just . . . I just don't want to see her get hurt." Ed finally said. Tommy smiled at him.

"You're lucky. At least you know someone like her." Tommy said. Ed looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked as he raised an eyebrow.

" . . . When I was nine I got into an accident. I lost all of my memory. I woke up in an orphanage with a broken arm and a gash across my forehead. The only thing I had on me was a pair of dog tags with the name Tommy Cooper on them. I don't know who I am or where I came from. I don't even know if my name's Tommy." Tommy lamented, as if speaking about a recently deceased family member. Ed looked at him with a great sadness and pity.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ed sympathized.

"Don't be. It's not your problem. I'm just trying to make you understand that things aren't as bad as they seem and everything will be fine in the end. Sure, I lost may have lost my memory. Do I miss it? Sure I do, it's like I just got cut out from another life. But I gained something in return."

"And what's that?"

" . . . Maybe someday I'll be able to tell you." Before Ed could ask Rose and Al finally came back and gave them their drinks.

"So what were you two chatting about?" Al asked.

"Nothing important. Just small talk." Tommy said. The old man who ate by himself finished his meal, left the exact amount of money on the table and exited the diner. When the door opened, the sun grazed the side of Tommy's face. Tommy glanced outside and saw the sun was quickly beginning to set. Rose saw the concern in his face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"Rose, is your place close by?" Tommy asked.

"Yes." She answered with confusion in her voice and face.

"Okay listen, we have to leave." He spoke quickly as he tossed two bills onto the table.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Ed. Tommy quickly grabbed the map from off the table.

"Like I said, our monster is nocturnal. He loves to hunt at night." He said firmly. They all looked at each other with fear and concern in their eyes. Thus they made haste in getting to Rose's home. Night had descended by the time they arrived. The boys were setting themselves up for the night and Rose was in her room getting changed for bed. She had a spare room with one bed and that's where Al was going to be sleeping. Ed was forced to sleep on the couch. Her idea. Tommy offered to sleep in the arm chair she had.

Ed saw Tommy out of the corner of his eye while he was taking his jacket off and saw that he was wearing a gun holster. Ed's interest was perked with the sight of Tommy's pistol. Tommy caught Ed staring at his gun.

"That's not standard issue." Ed pointed out as he took a seat on the couch. Tommy's pistol wasn't the usual everyone in the military received. His looked custom designed, engravings sprawled along the barrel and on the handle. It wasn't the usual model either. It was bigger, probably the biggest pistol Ed had ever seen. A six shooter from the look of it.

"That's because it's not."He replied wryly.

"The design's cute, but it seems like a waste." Ed responded.

"Oh yeah? How so?" Tommy asked as he sat down in Roses' arm chair.

"Well, what's the point? A gun's a gun. Making it all pretty doesn't make it jam less or preform better. And what if you lose it? It just seems like a waste." Ed explained. Tommy laughed.

"You have obviously never handled a gun before." Tommy retorted.

"Pardon?"

"Ed, the point of personalizing a gun is to turn it into something more than just a gun. You give a man a gun he's gonna look at it as just another weapon and use it as so. But give a man a gun and a chance to do something personal with it, let him put life into it and make it his own. When that happens, that gun becomes not just a gun, not just a weapon, but a lethal extension of his body. That's why I have the engravings, Ed. Because it turns it into a part of me. Doesn't make the gun preform better. It makes me preform better." Tommy spoke proudly with a sense of truth in his words. Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever. I still say it's a waste." Ed retorted. Tommy popped a small smirk and kicked back, relaxed himself. Ed reached into his bag and pulled out his notebook. He saw something out of the corner of his eye as he did so. He turned his head to see Rose's door open just a touch. He could see her perfectly from his angle. She had her back turned so he couldn't see her face. He watched as she undid her dress and it fell to the floor.

Ed looked at her body from head to foot and back again. She had a wonderful form, almost hourglass like. She bent over to pick up her dress and Ed started to bite his lower lip. She put her dress on her bed and was about to take her bra off when Tommy's voice broke in.

"You know, Ed," He began. Ed snapped his head the other way to see Tommy eye to eye. "Unless she's your girlfriend or wife, a woman's body is like the sun. You don't stare at it. You glance, get a good sense of where it is, and look away." Tommy commented wryly, his eye brows raised at Ed in an "I totally saw that" fashion. Ed then turned a dark shade of red and continued to pull his book out of his bag. Tommy then let out a small laugh.

"Relax, Ed, I was the exact same way when I was your age. Actually, now that I think about it I was worse." He chuckled. Ed averted his eyes away from Tommy.

" . . . Promise you won't say anything?" Ed asked quietly as he dug his nose into his notebook.

"My lips are sealed." Tommy promised as he stood up. He headed towards the door and put his jacket on.

"Okay listen, I'm going to go check out the area and I may not be back for a while. You and Al stay here and keep an eye on her." Tommy commanded.

"Don't worry, she won't leave our sight." Ed reassured him.

"Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem for you Ed." He teased with a smirk. Ed's face went red again. Tommy closed the door on his way out and was met with a bitter cold wind. Tommy took a deep breath and began walking down the street. He decided to head towards the center of town, guided by the sound of running water.

He arrived at what looked like the center and focal point of the town. A small sit down diner sat comfortably at the corner of a street between two buildings. Nearby was a large fountain. Tommy walked over and noticed that little mugs attached to strings were tied to the edges of the fountain.

"It's wine." said a quiet voice. Tommy turned around and saw a towering figure, hunched over sitting at the now closed diner. He wore a dirty old cloak, his face hidden from Tommy's eyes. Tommy felt he had seen him before, but couldn't place where. "The priest of this town was said to be a miracle man. They say he turned the water in this fountain into red wine." he continued. His voice was scratchy and raw. He sounded old. Tommy took him as being either homeless or a hermit of some kind.

"Is that so?" Tommy questioned the homeless man as he walked towards the fountain. He got down on one knee and picked up a mug. He then scooped up a small amount of the blood red drink and downed it. Tommy cringed at the sour taste. He heard a chuckle come from the homeless man.

"I never said it was good wine." he laughed.

"That's true. Then again I'm more of a whiskey man myself." Tommy said as he stood up. He turned to face the man once more. "You know it's probably not a good idea to be out here. I hear a killer is on the loose."

"So I've heard. But that begs the question of why you're out here all on your own. Shouldn't you be inside too?" he spoke sarcastically.

"Nah, I'm not scared." Tommy spoke confidently.

"Really? Well I think you should be." The words made a tingle go down Tommy's spine.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Tommy asked cautiously.

"I hear this man is quite dangerous. Kidnaps woman, does God knows what to them. Leaves their bodies in the streets for people to find. Who wouldn't be scared of that?"

"Well you seem pretty calm. How do I know you're not the killer?" Tommy asked as he slowly and calmly sat down on the lip of the fountain.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're not a local. You're new in town. Very suspicious looking, if you ask me." he almost sounded amused.

"Says the man who's walking around in the middle of the night with his face concealed. If you ask me, you're the suspicious looking one." Tommy responded with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

"Touche good Sir, touche." he replied wryly. He then turned his head. Tommy followed his motions and saw a young girl, she looked to be about seventeen. "Well I must be off now. I must be getting my granddaughter home. It was nice chatting with you." he said as he got off his seat. He slowly hobbled over to the girl. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder for support. Tommy's eyes met the girl's eyes. He smiled and waved to her. She only stared back at him with a blank stare, emotionless stare. Another shiver went down his spine. He let his arm fall to his side. He watched as the two slowly walked away. And soon it was just him, the night sky, and the quiet sounds of the town. Tommy then went back to the task at hand. And it watched. It peered around the corner and watched as he walked down the street.

"That's it," he said to himself. "Walk away. You poor, poor, simpleton." he spoke in a low voice. He looked down at the girl in his arms. "We wouldn't want him to disturb us, would we?" he said as he grinned. She trembled in his arms. She didn't want it to end like this. But she didn't have a say in the matter, unfortunately.

* * *

A couple hours went by as Tommy casually walked the streets of Lior. He let out a sigh.

"I'm not finding anything tonight. I should probably head back anyway." Tommy thought. Tommy's train of thought was broke when he heard something behind him. He turned to see nothing but the empty streets. However, he could feel something was near and that it was watching him with unnatural, almost animalistic eyes. A chill ran down his spine that made him very uneasy. He then started to slowly reach into his jacket and take his gun out of its holster. He looked at the buildings around him as they made eerie shadows under the glow of the moon. He then clicked his safety off and pulled his gun out.

"Where are you hiding you son of a bitch?"Tommy thought. Tommy started to walk again but froze right in his tracks. He could feel someone or something breathing heavily down the back of his neck. In and out, hot and foul smelling breath caked on the back of his neck. It wreaked of blood, old and new. Tommy tightened his grip. His entire body tensed up. It was now or never. He quickly spun around and fired three rounds. The sound of gunfire rang in the air, echoing far into the distance. When the smoke cleared nothing was there. His enemy was either invisible or a complex delusion of his mind.

He stared sternly at the darkness for a moment, as though his unseen foe were standing before him. He suddenly turned around, swearing he heard something that sounded like a whimper or a whisper. He scanned the area, searching for movement of any kind.

As his eyes searched the area he caught sight of what lay beyond the town limits. The sea of sand involuntarily made him think back to another time. The night air of the desert biting at his face and hands. The crunch of the dirt and sand under his feet. He knew these feelings well. This hadn't been the first time he had been in a desert town before. And he certainly wanted it to be his last.

The quick image of something flashed in his head, giving him cause to drop his gun and dig his face into his hands. He rubbed his eyes till the image bled out and disappeared. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straight. Tommy bent down and picked his gun up. He then looked at his wrist watch and saw how late it was. He decided he was going to turn in for the night. Tommy holstered his pistol and quickly made his way back to Rose's home.

When he opened the door he saw that Ed was asleep on the couch with his notebook covering his face. Tommy sighed heavily. He was relieved to see that he was okay but at the same time was a little disappointed, thinking Ed should have waited for him to get home before passing out. He couldn't blame him though, he was only a kid.

Tommy then went to check on Rose. She was fast asleep. He then creaked open the door to Alphonse's room and saw him laying down, his big body barely fitting on the mattress. He was about to close the door when Al's voice stopped him.

"Lieutenant Cooper?" He asked.

"Yeah, Al?" Tommy responded gently and quietly.

"I heard gunshots. Was that you?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah. That was me."

"Did you find something. Did you find him?" Al asked as he sat up.

"No kiddo, I didn't. It was just my imagination."

"Oh." Al replied quietly. Tommy was about to shut the door once more when Al's voice stopped him again.

"Tommy?" he said.

"Yes Alphonse?"

" . . . Thank you for coming here with us." Al said. Tommy smiled gently.

"You're welcome Al. Now go to sleep." Tommy said as he closed the door. With that done, Tommy took his jacket off, grabbed a small blanket that Rose had laid out for him, and turned off the light. He sat down in the arm chair and covered his legs up with the small blanket. He gazed out the window and sighed once more.

On the outside it would seem that Tommy was fearless and brave in the face of danger. It wasn't true and he knew it. He was probably the most terrified man in the world. He was simply numb sometimes. His eyes had seen so much, his hands done many terrible things. He was numb sometimes. But only sometimes. Apathy, that's what he was. Apathy.

Tommy joined the military when he was eighteen. If it were possible he would have told his younger self to never sign that form. To never do so well at basic training. But because he did do so well, he climbed the ranks as if it were nothing. By the age of twenty he made Second Lieutenant and joined a secret unit of the military; The S.M.T.R.S, The Special Missions Tactical Response Squad.

The S.M.T.R.S is a group of specially trained soldiers. They were the misfits of the military, the guys no one wanted to deal with, but needed if they wanted the job done. Most higher ups saw them as nothing more than mercs with official military rank and power. A death squad. They were the one's who got tasked with the nasty jobs. The kind of work no one wants to admit that people actually do for a living. The kind of missions that men whisper about in the privacy of their offices.

For ten years Tommy had been a member, one of the best. But it didn't come without it's baggage. Every night, for ten years, he would have the "pleasure" of having nightmares about the things he had seen and done. Horrific visions that would drive any man insane. And tonight would be no different.


	2. Chapter 2: The Desert Devil Part 2

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 1: To Challenge The Desert Devil Part 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Guyver. I do own the character of Thomas Cooper**

**AN: Please review, constructive criticism is more than welcome **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in Italics it means it's a flash back. _Just thought I'd clear that up.

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 2

To Challenge The Desert Devil  
Part 2

Tommy's eyes quickly snapped open as he lurched forward, trying to catch his breath. He tried to steady himself as every fiber in his body rumbled and shook. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the palm of his hand, and let out a shaky breath. He peered over and saw that Ed was still asleep with his notebook on his face. Al was in the kitchen helping Rose prepare breakfast. He must have heard Tommy wake up because a few seconds afterwords he turned to face Tommy.

"Lt. Cooper, your up! How do you like your eggs?" Al asked cheerfully.

"Scrambled." he grumbled tiredly. Al and Rose saw the condition he was in.

"Are you okay? You look ill." Rose asked concerned.

"I'm fine." he sighed as he put on his best, fake smile. He got up and dragged himself to the bathroom. He turned on the cold water as high as it could go, and splashed his face to wake himself up. He loved the feeling of the sharp cold water hitting his face. It let him know that not all his senses were dead. He turned the facet off and watched as the water spun down the drain, his thoughts once more going back to the past.

It was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The cause of his delusions escaped him. He had comfort in knowing that he was safe in the day. Had being the key word. It only recently started happening, memory flashes of tragic events occurring during the day. Comparable to hot flashes, only worse.

He had extinguished every resource too. Pills, therapy, none of it helped. If anything, it made things worse. The pills kept him doped up and out of it, but only made the nightmares more surreal. The therapy only angered him to the point he had made a life long enemy. A noise coming from outside caught his attention. He dried his face off and opened the bathroom window. The street was crowded with people, all heading in one general direction.

"Hey, what's going?" Tommy yelled from the window.

"You're kidding? Didn't you hear? Another person was killed last night! This time there's supposed to be a message or something left behind!" a man yelled from the streets.

"Dammit!" Tommy cursed, slamming his fist against the wall. He stormed out of the bathroom and into the living room. Tommy kicked the couch Ed was on to wake him up.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Ed rambled as his notebook fell from his face to the floor.

"Ed, get up. Al, you stay with Rose." Tommy commanded as he put on his coat and shoes. Ed stumbled off the couch and put his coat and boots on, and before another word could be said they were out the door.

* * *

The two made their way down to where the commotion was coming from. The crowd was large and thick with people, forcing them to push their way through to get to the center. When they saw the scene, Ed gagged and Tommy cringed at the sight. In front of them was the mutilated corpse of a young girl lying on the ground. She couldn't have been more than seventeen. Wind blew hard for a moment and Tommy caught a whiff of dead flesh. She had only been dead a few hours. Tommy walked forward and Ed followed closely behind him. Ed looked at the crowd and saw that some still remembered his face.

"What are you doing here?" a man in the crowed asked angrily. Tommy stopped in his tracks.

"He's with me, we're just trying to help." Tommy replied.

"Yeah? That's what that little bastard said the last time. Now look at us." another person spoke up. Everyone started agree with him and Tommy didn't like that.

"It's his fault! Ever since he came to our town we've been shunned from the grace of Leto! I say we take care of him now before he destroys us!"

"He's the reason we suffer! Get him!"

"Uh oh." Ed muttered nervously. They all roared with pride as they started to close in on the two of them. One man in the crowd threw a brick at Ed. Ed saw it shooting through the air, heading towards his face. He didn't have time to think, he was sure it was going to smash into his face. But just then Tommy caught it, a mere inches away from Ed's face. He then squeezed the brick and it broke into pieces.

"Lay one hand on him, and I'll have the military place every one of you under arrest for interfering with an ongoing investigation!" Tommy shouted. Everyone stopped and backed up a bit, some giving each other a worried look.

"H-He's bluffing! He doesn't have that kind of control! He doesn't even look like a military officer! Come on!" a man in the crowd cried out. He ran at Tommy, a fist pulled back and ready to swing. Tommy stood motionless with a fierce look in his eye, and just when the man was a few feet in front of them, Tommy swiftly swung his leg straight upwards. The tip of his boot connected with the crazed local's chin and sent him flying backwards, landing on the ground with a loud thud. Tommy slowly brought his leg down and stared at the man. Blood was spilling from his chin profusely, and he looked terrified.

"I suggest you back away. Now." Tommy coldly commanded. The man scrambled to his feet and ran back into the crowd, clutching his chin. "Now listen up. I know you're scared, and I understand you're angry with this young man. But that does not give you the right to act like savages. If he has truly wronged you some way then let him make things right." he said as he motioned towards Ed. "Let us help you, and put an end to this nightmare . . . or I can call in the troops." Tommy said strictly. Everyone slowly looked at each other and, collectively, silently decided to back away. They soon cleared themselves from the streets.

"You certainly have a way with words." Ed commented.

"Comes with the job." Tommy replied nonchalantly.

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course not." He then turned his attention to the slain girl slumped against the ground.

"This the work of our monster?" Ed asked.

"Yeah this is his work alright. Poor girl, she must have been in so much pain. I can't even begin to understand what she went through." Tommy said with sympathy. He stepped forward a bit more, to see her face. Guilt and anger towards himself shook him to his core. It was the girl from the previous night. The weight of his guilt made his legs buckle, bringing him down on one knee. "That bastard. He was right in front of me. She was right in front of me." Tommy angrily mumbled to himself. Ed looked at the way the girl's dress was torn.

"Tommy. This thing, does it . . . does it . . .?" Tommy finished his question.

"Yes Ed. Almost every single female victim showed signs of sexual assault." Ed turned a pale white as he thought of Rose. Tommy slammed a closed fist against the ground.

"There's no shame in getting sick Ed. Lord knows I've done it enough to get used to it." Tommy sympathized. Not once did his voice shake, he was too strong to let that happen. Ed darted back a bit, hunched over, and vomited violently. He wiped his mouth clean with the sleeve of his coat, breathed heavily and stayed hunched over a few minutes more, fearing more bile would rise up. He felt a hand come down on his shoulder.

"She's not going to end up like that. I was too late to save this girl. But I promise you that Rose will not end up like this."

" . . . Thank you." Ed replied quietly. Tommy turned his attention to the wall beside the girl. He stared at the message left behind, written in blood. It read:

_**Who's hunting who, Lieutenant? **_

The words made Tommy scold himself.

"Tommy, please tell me we're going to get this guy." Ed demanded.

"We're not gonna get him. We're gonna do what we came here to do. We are going to kill him." Tommy stated. Ed could see the hatred in his eyes, and if Tommy were to look into his he would see the same hate. "Ed, go back and grab Al and Rose. Meet me inside the church."

"Isn't that a bad idea?" Ed hesitantly asked.

"I don't like it either, but I refuse to leave her alone. Hell, I feel nervous right now with just Al being with her. No offense."

"None taken." Ed said in agreement. He then left, leaving Tommy to do the hardest part of the job. Informing the parents of the young girl.

* * *

The church of Leto had been built with love and care. Every statue that stood in the main hallway was finely detailed and crafted from a green colored marble. The main hallway itself was large, with the capability of seating hundreds for a sermon or mass of some kind. At the end of the hallway, where one would speak to the flocking masses of Leto worshipers, was a statue of their all mighty God. Tommy stood in front of it, admiring it. He wasn't religious, he simply admired the craftsmanship of the piece, even if it was forged using alchemy. The sound of opening doors pulled himself away from the statue. His three companions had arrived.

"Good, you're here. Are you ready for this?" Tommy asked.

"I think so." Al replied confidently. Rose's hands were shaking. Tommy walked up to her.

"You'll be fine. Nothing will happen to you." Tommy reassured Rose. She looked up at him and nodded slightly.

"Thank you." she said quietly. He gently patted her on the shoulder for reassurance.

"How did the parents take the news?" Ed asked. Tommy looked at him for a moment.

" . . . Not easily." he replied. "Okay, we have at least eight hours till the sun goes down. We'll cover more ground if we split up. Ed and Al, search the main building. Rose and I will check out the basement area."

"You mean you're going to leave the two of us alone? By ourselves?" Ed sputtered out nervously.

"You're a big boy. Plus you have Al with you." Tommy pointed out. Ed and Al watched as Rose and Tommy entered a door and disappeared from their sight. The two brothers stood there a moment, quiet and alone. Nothing but the eyes of the statues watching them. At least, that's what they hoped.

* * *

Tommy gingerly stepped down the stairs with Rose close behind him. They reached the bottom of the rickety stairs, the smell of moth balls and a centuries worth of dust wafting in there faces. Tommy casually pulled out his gun and clicked the safety off. Rose made a small nervous sound at the sight of the large pistol.

"Do you really think you will need to use that?" she nervously asked.

"I'm just being cautious." he replied with confidence. He had reason to be so. The basement was large and lacked available storage space. Still, there were plenty of spots to hide up in the rafters above their heads and in the dark corners.

"Say, can I ask you something?" Tommy asked Rose as they began searching.

"I suppose." She replied.

"What's the deal between you and Ed? I mean, were you guys together or something?"

Rose started to blush a little. "No. Why, did he say something about me?" She asked with curiosity. Tommy thought about the talk he had with Ed at the diner.

"No." He responded after a long pause.

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

"But I will say this, he definitely has feelings for you."

"Really? You think so?" She asked.

"Yeah, I've seen the way he looks at you." He chuckled. Rose started to turn bright red. "Shame though. He thinks you hate him or something." The words turned Rose's emotions against her.

"Well he's right. After what he did, who wouldn't?" She retorted spitefully.

"Just what exactly did he do, if you don't mind me asking?"

" . . . He took this city's faith away." She lamented. Tommy abruptly stopped walking. He quickly turned around and looked at her, dumbfounded.

"That's it?" He asked, perplexed by her reasoning.

"What do you mean that's it?" Rose miffed, raising her voice in anger.

"Would you keep your voice down?" Tommy whispered harshly. "And look, not to be rude or anything, but I think that's a shitty excuse not to talk to the kid. I mean come on, how does someone take your faith? Let alone an entire cities." Tommy pointed out.

"He just did, okay?" Rose was starting to get furious.

"Look if I've learned anything about faith, it's that you make your own, it can't be taken."

"Can we please drop the conversation?" Her voice had returned to normal volume but still sounded angry.

"Whatever." He said as he turned his back to her. They continued to search the basement in awkward silence. Rose just followed Tommy quietly, watching him nervously.

"I'm sorry." She apologized after a long stretch of silence.

"It's fine. You have your reasons for hating him. I can understand that." He stated coldly. The coldness in his words bit her. The sound of something shattering caused Tommy to spin around. He aimed his gun and was about to fire when he saw that it was Ed and Al behind them. The shattering sound came from a vase that Ed had knocked over.

"What the hell's the matter with you two? I could have shot you!" Tommy scolded.

"We're sorry, it's just that we finished searching upstairs, and we didn't find anything." Al pleaded innocently. Tommy muttered something under his breath, some sort of profanity, as he lowered his gun.

"Did you find anything?" Ed asked.

"Nothing. He's not here. He has to be somewhere – " Tommy felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. He felt his heart nearly skip a beat. He heard, smelled, and felt that same horrid breath he encountered the other night. He slowly turned his head to see a massive, dark gray, clawed hand latched onto his shoulder. He followed the hand up to the gray muscle bound arm, and then to the face. Tommy looked in horror as he saw razor sharp teeth closing in on him with plans to snatch a piece of his flesh.

Quickly dodging backwards, Tommy fell to the floor, his gun pointed straight at the beast. The monster let out a nightmarish scream that rocked everyone to the core and slowly turned into a sinister laugh, a laugh that echoed throughout the basement. They all looked at it in terror as it slowly started to advance towards them. Tommy saw It was wearing that same large brown cloak with the hood on it. When they looked at its face they could only see its thin yellow eyes and its large twisted smile.

Tommy got to his feet without any haste. He flung his arm up, aimed his gun and got off four rounds; three to the chest and one to the head. It did nothing to slow him down however. The bullets bounced off his skin and he let out another howling laugh.

"Pathetic." He chuckled. "Did you actually think that was going to stop me?" He asked.

"Ed, Al, I want you to take Rose and get back to her house." Tommy ordered, ignoring the question given to him.

"What about you?" Rose cried.

"Forget me. I'll stall him, now go!" Tommy demanded. The monster let out another evil laugh.

"You wouldn't want to do that, Mr. Cooper. If you honestly think you can stall me, then you might as well give me that girl now." Tommy looked at him with a shocked and puzzled look.

"How do you know my name?" He wondered.

"Oh, I know lots about you, Mr. Cooper. Like, how it's you who's been hunting me down like I'm some kind of wild animal!" He hissed angrily. His anger quickly turned to glee. "You see, I do my homework too." He said with a large twisted smile.

"Damn! He knows me. Does that mean he knows about – "His thoughts were broken by the sound of the enemy's voice.

"But where are my manners? Allow me to properly introduce myself. I . . . am Aptom." He smiled as he took a bow, as if to mock Tommy. He looked up at Tommy from his bow and saw Tommy swing his leg, his boot shooting for his head.

"Tell it to someone who cares!" Tommy growled as his boot connected to Aptom's face. Aptom went careening backwards and landed on the cold hard ground. Tommy cringed as he got down on one knee, grabbing at his leg. Tommy heard a low chuckle and watched as Aptom got up from the ground.

"So you're a fighter, eh? That's good. I like it when they struggle." He bellowed deeply.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Al cried.

"What the hell are you still doing here, go now! That's an order!" Tommy barked.

"But – "

"Come on, Al!" Ed exclaimed. Ed and Al grabbed Rose and ran up the stairs. Aptom dashed at them but Tommy, cringing through the pain, jumped on his back to stop him. Aptom reached back and grabbed him by the head, and then slammed him into the ground. Tommy lay motionless, the wind knocked out of him. He was then picked up and tossed against a wall. A loud snap indicated that his leg had been broken upon impact. He laid there, clutching at his leg, his shinbone sticking out of his skin.

Aptom slowly stepped towards Tommy, each step making Tommy's heart beat faster and faster. When he finally found himself standing over Tommy, he got down on his haunches and grabbed Tommy by the throat. He squeezed tight while his other arm grabbed Tommy's wounded leg. Aptom brought his head down low and extended his long, lizard like tongue, which began to dig into Tommy's leg. Tommy growled and cringed as Aptom savored the taste of his prey's bloody wound. Aptom quickly withdrew his tongue.

"Mmm, mouth watering. Now don't you go anywhere, I'll be back later on after I'm done having some fun with your friends." Aptom chuckled. He then leaped up the stairs, leaving Tommy down in the dark. Little did He know that Tommy had a deep dark and crazed smile plastered across his face.

"All right asshole, you wanna play? Then lets play." Tommy growled.

* * *

Rose, Ed, and Al were running through the now dark city streets. They came to a halt when they found themselves at a cross section of street and alleyway. Rose looked in each direction, trying to decide which way to go.

"Which way is it?"Ed asked furiously.

"This way. I think." Rose replied nervously. She didn't know where she was. Somewhere, in all the chaos and confusion, they had taken a wrong turn. There was no way of knowing which path lead home.

"What do you think, Al?" Ed asked.

"We should go back for Lt. Cooper." Al firmly demanded.

"We can't." Ed said quietly.

"Why, brother? We should have helped him."

"What could we have possibly done?" Ed snapped back at his brother.

"But, brother – " Bursting from the shadows, Aptom sprung out and wrapped his thick, muscular arms around Al's waist. The two struggled as Al tried to break free. Aptom began to squeeze tightly, slowly bending and denting Al's metal body. Ed just watched, everything before his eyes playing out in slow motion. The sound of the metal twisting and bending rang in his ears, along with the sound of his rapid heart beat.

"Al! Al!" Ed screamed in agony. He watched in horror as his brother was being crushed in half at the waist. Aptom then threw Al to the ground. With a dark chuckle, he swung his head back at his two remaining problems.

"I don't want to sound like I'm not enjoying this, but you brats are really starting to piss me off." Aptom growled deeply. Ed didn't care what words came out of his mouth. He was too pissed to care.

"Get away from him, you ugly bastard! Get away from my little brother!" Ed yelled. Aptom responded with a high pitched feral cry as he got down on all fours and ran at them like a wild beast. Ed grabbed Rose by the wrist and started to run for dear life as the massive shadowy figure came towards them, gaining speed with each massive stride he took. Ed ran as hard as he could, every breath he took burning his lungs. Rose's leg were growing tired and weak. She did her best to keep up with Ed but it was no use. They gave out, her body slamming against the dirt and sand. Her wrist jerked out of Ed's hand.

"Edward!" She screamed out to him. Ed skid to a halt and reached down to pick her up. Before he could even get her to her feet, Aptom jumped towards them, pouncing at them like a ravenous feline. Ed scowled angrily, gritted his teeth.

"Give us a fucking break!" He screamed as he swung his automail leg high and cracked Aptom in the face. Aptom flew back a couple feet and smacked against the ground. Ed got Rose to her feet and they both once more started to run. Aptom got up from the ground and made a low angry growl.

Left and right the two ran, every so often hearing Aptom cackle, or seeing his figure in the shadows. As they rounded a corner, Ed spotted an ajar door in the distance and made a blitz for it. He got there first and yanked the door open.

"Quick, get in!" Ed shrieked. Rose ran in and Ed followed her. He locked the door, and as he did Aptom's fist bashed through. Ed and Rose began running up a set of stairs at the end of a hallway, the sound of Aptom's roars as he smashed through the door following them. When they reached the top, Ed shut the door and transmuted a big stone block in front of it.

"There, not even he could get through that." Ed huffed as he tried to catch his breath. Rose leaned against a wall and let out a quivered sigh of relief. Ed glanced around the room, spying a giant bell hanging from the middle of the ceiling. The room was in disarray, looking as though it were in the middle of reconstruction. Seems they were patching up some cracks in the walls and adding beautifully carved stone pillars for decoration.

"Where are we?" Ed asked.

"We must be in the church bell tower." Rose responded, still trying to catch her breath.

"Perfect, we're back in the church." Ed replied sarcastically. He ran over to a window and peered out, trying to spot Aptom, wherever he may be. As he stared out the window he felt a few drops of water hit his hand. And another. And then another. Soon the ground and houses below him were being pelted with rain, making it harder for him to see anything outside. Neither he nor Rose noticed the massive dark figure scaling down the wall that Rose was leaning against.

"Dammit, I can't see a thing. But I think we lost him, for now." Ed said, unsure of his own words. He turned to look at Rose. Terror froze him, his eyes pooling with a look of horror, his face lost all colour and showed utter fear. Rose saw Ed and how he looked at her.

"Ed? What's wrong Ed?" She asked worriedly.

"R-Rose, get a-away from that w-wall." Ed stuttered. Before she could question him, Rose felt a chill go down her spine. Her mind told her not to look up, but her body did it anyway. She slowly tilted her head upwards, and not an inch away from her face was Aptom's twisted smiling face, razor blade like teeth and all.

"You get away from her!" Ed yelled, running at him. Aptom pounced off the wall and kicked Ed, his small body slamming against the wall on the other side of the room. He fell to the floor, stammered to get back on his feet. Aptom grabbed a hold, and with one hand toppled a large stone pillar over top of Ed's legs, bringing him back down to the ground. He cried out in pain, his face smacking against the hard stone floor. Ed looked up at Aptom, who loomed over him menacingly. Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them against the ground.

"Got you know, you bastard." Ed spoke through a grin. But nothing happened. No light. No transmutation. Ed quickly looked at the palms of his hands.

"What . . . what happened? Why didn't it work?" Ed mumbled pitifully. Aptom bellowed a deep laugh.

"I guess I should have mentioned that alchemy doesn't work around me. " Aptom mocked Ed. Slowly, He turned around and glared hungrily at Rose. She stood there, shaking, as Aptom examined her from afar, staring at every inch of her body. Focusing on some parts of her more than others. Slowly, he put one foot in front of the other. Ed squirmed to get free as he got closer to Rose. He now stood before her, towering over the young girl. He propped his hand on the wall behind her, his hand resting right next to her head. He leaned on it casually as his eyes danced across her face. He got close to her and smelt the air around her, inhaling deeply.

"Ooh," He shuddered. "You smell intoxicating. Such a pure and sweet sensation. Perhaps . . . you're a virgin?" He questioned, getting closer. It sounded as if he were talking more to himself than to her.

"You touch her and – " Before Ed could even finish growling off a sentence, Aptom snapped back with his own threat.

"And what? What could you possibly do to stop me? Now keep that big mouth of yours shut, boy, or I'll shut it for you. Consider yourself lucky. Not many people get to watch me work." He hissed with a sadistic grin on his face, showing off all of his teeth. He then brought his attention back to Rose. He extended his long lizard like tongue, and licked the side of Rose's face. Rose shuddered, and cried as he did so.

"You taste just as good as you smell. Delicious. I'm just dying to ruin you." He grinned. Rose began to violently shake at the thought of what he was intending on doing to her. She looked at him as her eyes started to water up.

"No, oh God no p-please don't." She cried, tears trickling down her cheeks. He chuckled darkly as his hand extended down to the side of her leg, clutched at a bit of her dress, and started to slowly lift. Ed tried desperately to break free of his binds. He squirmed and pulled his legs as hard as he could, but it was no use. Ed rested his head against the ground and shut his eyes tightly so he wouldn't have to see.

"I . . . I'm so sorry, Rose." Ed whispered to himself. He heard her cry and scream. But then he heard Aptom scream. It was no pleasurable cry Ed had ever heard. So all he could assume was that it was one of pain. He opened his eyes and looked up. Aptom was staggering away from Rose, looking down at his leg in shock. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a small blue light zipped across the room and hit Aptom in the shoulder, causing him to shriek in pain once more. Ed quickly looked at Rose, who was fortunately still fully dressed and untouched. Soon, a dark silhouette appeared from behind the bell, and Ed could think of only one person.

"Tommy! Am I glad to see you, quick get – " Ed stopped talking as a crack of lightning lit up the room for a brief moment. It wasn't Tommy.

He only had a brief moment to take in his appearance. All he could tell was that he was a man in an armored suit, but never had Ed seen a design so complex and incredible, more than a split seconds worth of detail to take in. As quickly as the lightning lit up the room, the night and the storm came back and darkened it. He had bright red eyes that glowed ominously, giving him a strange kind of superiority.

"Let the girl go." He commanded angrily. His voice was electronically distorted, alien sounding even.

"Who the hell are you!" Aptom hissed. The armored man gave an answer. Neon blue glowing blades extended upwards from his arms like strange tonfas. Ed guessed that they came from the tops of his fore arms, near the elbow. Aptom seemed to forget about Rose, as if she didn't even exist. All he knew was that he was being challenged by someone or something that was invading on his dominance. Aptom charged at the armored man furiously. He tackled him against the wall and they both went crashing through. The both of them plummeted towards the ground with Aptom on top of his opponent. The two traded blows with each other until they both hit the ground with a terrible speed, making a small crater upon impact. The armored man lay motionless as Aptom got to his feet.

"Weak. I expected more from such a strange looking man." Aptom commented in disappointment. He got down onto his haunches to examine him closer. Out of nowhere, his motionless enemy shot upwards into a sitting stance and punched him in the side of the face. The force alone cracked a couple teeth in his mouth, but at the same time it sent him flying into a wall.

"And I expected more from a monster of your size and stature." The armored man snapped back as he got to his feet. Aptom pulled himself from the crushed wall, and ran at his foe. Aptom swung his claws, but his opponent moved with such a speed and grace that Aptom couldn't hope to match. The armored combatant dodged swiftly, giving him the chance he needed to drive his blade deep inside Aptom's chest. Aptom lurched forward, leaning on his foe as he coughed up blood. The man in the armor yanked his blade free and deactivated it, the blade shrinking down to the size of a small knife.

Aptom stumbled back, coughing up more blood, clutching his wound his both of his hands. His hands trembled as he looked down, gazing at his blood coated hands. Something in his eyes changed at that moment. A sliver of humanity had found it's way out of the deep recesses of Aptom's dark twisted insides.

"Blood . . . my blood. I've seen my hands covered in the blood of countless. But never my own. I've never seen my own black, thick, cold lifeless life force. It disgusts me. I hate that my blood isn't like others." His voice was depressingly calm but his hands angrily clenched into tight fists. For a moment, the man in the armor almost felt empathetic towards Aptom. Aptom dropped to his knees, slamming into the muddy ground. He opened his hands and hesitantly removed his hood, revealing his face. He was fantastically hideous, and monstrous. He had no nose, only two small slits on a flat surface where a nose should be. His head looked as if his skull was trying to escape the confides of his skin, pressing his flesh thin, but still muscular and strong at the same time. His jaw was large and narrow, his chin coming to a strong point.

"I don't remember when I last saw my own blood. I couldn't even tell you what I look like. I'm always afraid of what I'd see. But if I'd have to guess, I'd say I look just as vile and evil as my own blood." He continued. He then closed his eyes and his head gently bobbed downwards. The man in the armor stood there for a moment, staring. Aptom then sprung forward, bringing the man in the armor down to the ground. Aptom sat on top of him, his fingers gripped tightly around the neck of his enemy. The humanity in his eyes was gone. Aptom was back.

"But then I'd say fuck it, the world, and those who get in my way! Because if you aren't strong, the world will chew you up and spit you back out, leaving you with nothing! And right now, I'm the world!" He spat, picking up his temporary nemesis. Aptom chucked him into the wall of a nearby home, the right side of his face digging into the hard stone of the building. Aptom watched as the man pulled his face out of the wall, groaning as he did so. He watched the man closely, taking his time as he moved himself behind the man. When the man in the armor was away from the wall, Aptom ran up behind him. He grabbed him by the shoulders and smacked him against the wall, face first. Aptom slid his arm around around the neck of his rival, putting him in the sleeper hold. His powerful muscles crushing his neck.

"Why? Why do you insist on fighting me? You seem powerful. You seem to be the kind of man that could take what he wants whenever he wants. And yet here you are, trying to stop me. Unless . . . you're just as bad as I am, and you want that girl for yourself. That's it, isn't it?" Aptom inquired.

"Shut your mouth!" The man growled. The blades on his arms extended quickly and he just as quickly jabbed them backwards, digging into Aptom's waist and chest. Aptom bellowed out a deafening cry, his wretched blood leaking onto the ground. The armored man yanked both of his blades out at the same time, making sure that the wounds ripped open. Fountains of blood sprayed from Aptom's torso as he fell to his knees. The man turned around and watched as blood sprayed and pooled around Atpom's motionless body. He looked up at the bell tower and jumped, soaring through the air.

Ed squirmed and wiggled to get his leg free. Rose just stood motionless as she stared at the hole in the wall. She jumped, and let out a small scream when a figure came flying in. Ed snapped his head upwards, and saw that it was the man in the suit. He ran over to Ed and freed him, lifting the stone pillar off of him as if it were nothing.

"Go see if Rose is okay." He said to Ed. Ed nodded slowly as he ran over and grabbed Rose. He asked if she was okay. She didn't say anything. Tears just bled from her eyes uncontrollably. Ed turned back to the man in the armor. Ed notice the slick black liquid that coated his armor variously.

"You killed it . . . didn't you?" He asked.

"Yeah. I got him." He responded as he looked out the hole in the wall. He gazed down at the ground and Aptom's body was gone.

"Look out!" Ed cried. And as if he had eyes in the back of his head, the man ducked as Aptom swung down from the rafters with a kick. He landed on the other side of the room, just behind the bell. Aptom's chest wounds had miraculously healed and his strength had returned.

The man in the armor shot two more blue beams of light out of his head at Aptom. One hit the bell and put a large hole in it, while the other one cut through his chest, like a hot knife through butter. Aptom just shook it off, darting out from behind the bell. He dashed and grappled with his enemy. They found themselves in each others grasp, they're arms locked in a mercy fight to see who could be pushed back first.

"Did you actually think I could be killed? Did do you actually think that you could take me down with that scrawny little body?" Aptom hissed. As much as Ed hated to agree with him, Aptom was right. When compared to Aptom this guy looked like Fuery trying to take down Armstrong. It was clear that Aptom was over powering him, as his legs started to buckle. Just then, a small light slowly appeared on his forehead, glowing bright. And then, out of nowhere, the man got a huge burst of strength and was starting to overpower Aptom.

"What? This can't be possible! No man can beat me! No man! Who are you?" Aptom screamed.

" . . . I'm the Guyver." He responded. Slowly and painfully, Guyver twisted Aptom's arms inward until a loud snap echoed throughout the stone walls of the bell tower. The bones in his arms were now poking out through his skin. With his arms broken and blood spilling out onto the floor, Aptom screeched in pain. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried blocking out the feeling of the air blowing on his exposed bones. Then he felt it.

He opened his eyes in time to see a hand grasping his bottom jaw, and before he could even process what was about to happen it happened. His flesh snapped and tore as his bottom jaw was yanked off, leaving his long tongue hanging. The elbow blade pierced it's way into Aptom's head with one swift motion, killing him instantly. The Guyver yanked his blade free and turned around, Aptom's body still standing. As if to put the final touch on his bloody and violent piece of art, he spun around and kicked Aptom out a window. Aptom flew through the air, and was gored on the tip of a giant Leto statue, the tip running through his chest.

The Guyver's blade slid back into his arm, and ceased to glow. He sighed relaxingly, feeling relieved. Quickly, he turned his head to the side, Ed and Rose staring, and standing there in shock. The man in the armor then started to walk towards them. Ed fumbled to clap his hands together but managed to turn his arm into a blade and point it at the thing.

"Y-you stay back!" Ed stammered, trying to stay calm. Suddenly, Ed's stone block that was guarding the door disappeared in a yellow light, and Al barged in

"Brother, are you alright?" Al exclaimed worriedly. It appeared someone had reached inside of Al's armor body, and pressed outward in a makeshift attempt at fixing the damage that was done.

"Al? I thought . . . I thought you were . . ." Ed couldn't finish his sentence. He was relieved to see his little brother alive. It pained him to see his brother's body all bent out of shape at the waist. But nonetheless, still relieved.

"Ed, it's all right."Al gently said in an effort to comfort his sibling.

"But how?" Ed asked desperately.

"He helped me." Al explained, turning to the Guyver. Ed slowly looked at the strangely named man in front of him, and just as slowly lowered his blade. Light started to flow from the seams in the armor. Slowly, he began to hover about a foot off the ground, and the suit peeled itself away from it's user. The light faded, and the pieces of armor quickly vanished into thin air, revealing that it was Tommy underneath.

"T-Tommy?" Rose finally mustered up. He looked at her with empathetic eyes.

"Yeah, Rose, it's me." He slowly responded. Ed couldn't even form a sentence adequate enough to convey what he was thinking. So many questions were bouncing around in his head.

"I promise, I'll try to explain everything to you, but first I want you to get Rose home." He said to Ed.

"What are you going to do?" Al asked. Tommy turned, and headed for the window he kicked Aptom out of.

"I still need to deal with him." Tommy scowled. Al nodded, and helped Rose down the stairs. Ed remained where he was, staring at Tommy. Tommy looked down upon Aptom's corpse. His once bright yellow eyes, now a lifeless, and dead white.

"I hope you rot." He bitterly said with anger.

* * *

Time seemed to crawl on it's stomach as they waited for an hour. Then two. When they got back to Rose's, Ed fixed his brother's body. Then, everyone sat in silence, not one of them truly sure of what to say. At the two and a half hour mark, Tommy finally stepped through the door. His pants were covered in mud and dirt, a shovel in hand. He took his boots off, set the shovel aside, and rested his back against the front door. He sighed heavily as he slid to the ground. As he sat in front of the door, everyone else stared at him, fearful and nervous of what would happen next. Everyone, except for Ed.

"You've got some serious explaining to do." Ed said sternly. Tommy just sat, and didn't say anything. "Like . . . are you even human?" Ed asked in harsh tone.

"Brother!" Al snapped, offended at his brother's behavior.

"It's okay Al. To be honest, I sometimes ask myself that very question," Tommy stated calmly. He tipped his head upwards, and stared at the ceiling. "I think I'm human. At least, I feel like I am. Then again, when you can do what I can do I guess it's hard to say. So really, Ed, I can't answer your question. Because I've been searching for that answer for a long, long time." His words had massive weight to them.

"That's not good enough, Cooper. You've gotta give me more than that. Is it some kind of alchemy? It's some kind of military thing, isn't it? You have to tell me something!" Ed demanded. Tommy brought his gaze back down to match Ed's. He glared angrily at him.

"I don't have anything to tell you, Ed. Because I don't know anything. Get that through your skull." His voice was cold and aggressive.

"But-" Ed felt his brother's hand grab his shoulder.

"Ed, just let it go." Al said simply. Ed looked at his brother for a moment. He then sighed miserably.

"Fine. But when we get back I'm going to have a serious talk with Mustang. He should have told us." He said.

"You're not going to say a thing to Mustang or anyone else about what's gone on here. No Aptom, no murders, nothing." Tommy said sternly.

"You mean Col. Mustang doesn't know?" Al asked.

"It's complicated. Let's just say that Mustang doesn't know everything like he believes he does." Tommy quickly answered.

"We won't say a word. Right brother?" Al asked, turning to his brother. Ed stared at Tommy angrily. He then let out a sigh.

"You saved Al . . . and for that I'm grateful. We won't say a word so long as you don't say anything about Al." Ed said with a slight amount of gratitude. Tommy closed his eyes, and rested his head against the door he sat against. And they left it at that. Ed wanted more of his questions answered, but he would have to wait. They all had a rough night, and all they wanted to do now was get some sleep.

* * *

It was early in the morning when the the cab arrived. People were curious and scared about the noises, and destruction that had been left behind from the previous night. Tommy was packing everybody's bags into the trunk of the taxi when Rose walked up to him from behind.

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" She asked.

"Yeah, we gotta head back to Eastern Command." Tommy said.

"Are you sure no one will find . . . its body?" She whispered.

"I buried it ten feet underground. No one will ever find Aptom." He guaranteed as he turned to looked at her. "So are you going to talk to Ed? Because chances are you're not going to see him again for a long time." Tommy stated.

"I know. I just don't know if I can." She said timidly.

"Look, I don't know what exactly went on between you two, but I know he's a good kid. Stubborn as he may be, he's still a good kid. Whatever he did, I'm sure he had a good reason. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're going to have to forgive him one of these days. It might as well be now." He said as he got into the cab. Al came out of the house, and said his goodbyes to Rose. When Ed came out he didn't say anything to her. He gave her a glance, and started to open the door to the cab.

"Ed?" she gently called.

"Uh, yeah, Rose?" He said surprised. She walked up to him, and hugged him tightly.

" . . . Thank you." She whispered in his ear. He then smiled, and hugged her back. He said his goodbye and climbed into the backseat of the cab. As they drove off, Ed looked back to see Rose still standing there. Soon, she faded into the sand, and wind, along with Lior.

"She'll be okay, Ed. Don't' worry." Tommy reassured Ed confidently.

"I know." He replied still looking back.

* * *

Upon their arrival back in Eastern Command, Ed and his two companions made haste; heading for Mustang's office. As they entered, the three of them saw Mustang waiting patiently behind his desk with an opened letter in his hand, and a very pleased look on his face.

"Well boys, how was your trip?" He asked as they all walked in. Tommy glanced at Ed nervously.

"Oh the usual stuff. Hot sand, bad apartment, and people that would more likely tear your head off than say hi. I recommend you go there sometime, Colonel." Ed advised with a smug grin. Tommy let a small smile curve his lips.

"Thanks, Ed." He thought.

"Sounds peachy. So, Lt. Cooper, I take it there were no problems then?" Mustang said looking at Tommy.

"No, Sir, no problems what so ever. Everything went smoothly." Tommy responded. At that moment, a large man walked in the room, carrying a desk.

"Col. Mustang, where did you want this?" he asked.

"Right there at the end, Breda." Roy instructed.

"Doing some rearranging, Roy?" Tommy asked.

"Actually, we have a new member joining my crew." Roy said, looking at Tommy with a grin.

"What's with the look? Is it someone I know?" Tommy asked. Roy handed him the letter he was holding. Tommy took it from his hands, and read the letter. His eyes scanned the page. When he finished, he looked at Roy with a puzzled look.

"What's this supposed to mean?" Tommy asked. Ed could detect some anger rising in his voice.

"It means you've been transferred to work under me, Cooper. I'm your new boss." Roy said still grinning. Tommy looked at him with a frown."Cooper, I want you to meet your new team."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Tommy blurted out.

"Here we go." Roy sighed.

"Don't give me that shit. How could you do this to me? You're lucky I don't back hand you." Tommy angrily spat back.

"You, back hand me? That's rich. Look, whether you like it or not, I'm your new boss. And this is your new team." He said as he motioned towards the people behind Tommy.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Uh, Colonel, I don't mean to be rude or anything but you can kindly go fuck yourself. I have a train to catch in twenty minutes. Goodbye." Tommy said, not actually turning around to face the people behind him, and not really giving a damn who they were.

"Tommy, just because you're my friend doesn't mean you can talk to me like that. Besides, I canceled your train ticket."

"You what?" Tommy said, raising his voice.

"Did I stutter?" Roy said sarcastically.

"You can't be serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"You are out of your mind. You know more than anyone that I work alone on my cases. And if I have to work with someone they have to be a State Alchemist. That's why I stayed down in Southern Headquarters, because they let me do that, I had freedom there. Here, I won't be able take a walk down the street without someone recording my actions in a little notebook." He said hysterically.

"Well think of it like this, at least your office isn't in the basement." Mustang said.

"I happen to like my basement office thank you very much." Tommy said, sounding offended.

"Tough." Roy said as he shrugged his shoulders, and grinned at him. Tommy glared at Roy menacingly. All of his new co-workers were staring at him, waiting to see what he was going to do.

" . . . Where are the dorms?" Tommy growled.

* * *

Tommy opened his dorm room door. It was a decent sized place, nothing special. There was a couch, a tiny kitchen, a bedroom with a bed and small footlocker, and a bathroom. Tommy walked strait to his bedroom, and tossed his bags into the corner of the room, tore his jacket and his t-shirt off, and fell into the bed. He turned off the light on the nightstand beside him, a luxury most rooms didn't have.

"That fucker. Roy knows that I like to work alone. Now I've got an entire crew of six amateurs to deal with. How the hell am I supposed to do my job if I've got these guys hanging of my neck? But . . . I did save Rose's life. I suppose it can't be all bad." He thought. Tommy closed his eyes, and tried to get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: First Day On The Job

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 3: First Day On The Job**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Guyver or Fullmetal Alchemist**

**AN: **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in Italics it means it's a flash back. _Just thought I'd clear that up.

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 3

First Day On The Job

His breathing was shallow, and sporadic. His body, covered in a cold sweat. Running through the warm, musty, darkness, he constantly tripped over unseen objects. Even though he ran, he himself didn't quite understand what he was running from. All he knew was that he wouldn't dare turn back to look. No, Tommy wasn't that stupid.

"Just keep running." He thought. The force behind him was gaining in speed. The consistent thud of heavy feet, taunting his ears. Faster and faster, he ran, until his legs couldn't keep up with his own body, causing him to crash to the ground.

"Get up dammit! Get up!" His mind screamed. He was shaken from his terror when a powerful hand come down on his shoulder. Everything seemed to go dead quiet as he slowly turned to face the shadowy silhouette with bright, piercing, red eyes. Tommy could only vaguely make out the outline of the constantly shifting shadow. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. His throat felt dry and raw. The only noise that came out of his mouth was a faint wheezing sound, followed by a rough cough. The being picked up Tommy by the collar of his shirt, and with a powerful blow to the face, sent him flying back, landing on the ground with loud thud. Tommy slowly picked himself up off the ground. He turned, the dark shadow standing in it's original spot. Tommy ran at it, and took a swing, only to have his shadowy attacker catch his fist. With his hand surrounding Tommy's, the shadow jerked downwards, and snapped the bone like a rotted twig.

Tommy cried out in pain as he lost all control over his arm. The pain from his arm then trailed to his stomach as he took a knee to the gut. He cringed at the intense pain that was being inflicted upon him. Tommy fell to the ground, and curled up in a ball. He finally managed to cough up the word "Why?"

No verbal response was given. Instead, it picked up Tommy by the throat, and began to squeeze, and crush his wind pipe. He could feel the life being drained from him as his vision started to blur. Tommy kicked wildly, and threw punches with his only good hand. Then he heard it. Tommy could hear a faint noise coming from the dark shadow that was killing him. It was crying. The creature before him was crying.

"I'm sorry." The mess of shadows sobbed with a distorted voice. And just when Tommy was beginning to recognize the figure, the fingers wrapped around his throat pressed forward and completely snapped his neck. His body gently fell to the ground.

* * *

Tommy bolted up right, screaming his lungs out. His cry of fear echoed throughout his empty room. For a moment he didn't know where he was, he only focused on catching his breath. He fell back, and laid his head against his pillow, breathing in heavily. He stared intensely at the ceiling, the afternoon sun shining against his face. He then quickly shot back up into a sitting position, and took in his surroundings. He was in his new room. Then he remembered the events that transpired before he went to sleep. A quivered sigh of relief escaped him, and he buried his face in his hands. He looked at his alarm clock, and just as it began to ring, he turned it off. He climbed out of bed, went to the bathroom, and dunked his face in some cold water. He dried his face off, and looked in the mirror. What met his gaze was not his face staring back, but the shadowy beast man that had killed him only moments ago within the deep recesses of his mind. Tommy punched the reflection in the mirror out of instinct, shattering the mirror, and cutting his hand.

"Fuck!" He screamed in anger, and pain. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, staring at the shards of mirror on the floor. Once calm and relaxed, he picked up the larger pieces and threw them out. He swept the smaller pieces to the side with his foot, careful not to cut himself. He then looked at his hand. It had two or three little pieces of glass sticking out of it. Tommy removed the glass to the best of his ability, and then jumped in the shower to clean himself up and his hand at the same time. When he got out he went to his room, removed the small first aid kit from one of his bags, and carefully bandaged it. He then got dressed, throwing on the spare white t-shirt he had packed. Once dressed, Tommy walked into his small kitchen, opened his fridge door, and saw that it was vacant. It then hit him that in order to have groceries, one must go grocery shopping. He groaned miserably.

"No food, cut up hand, this place fucking sucks!" Tommy exclaimed angrily. Then there was a sudden knock at the front door. Tommy slammed the fridge door shut. Tommy went to the front door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Roy standing there.

"Hey, you're actually up. I came by earlier, but you didn't answer." Roy explained. Tommy just looked at him with a blank stare. "Uh, anyway, I've got something for –" Tommy slammed the door in his face and went back to bed. Roy stared at the door, ticked off, and slightly annoyed. He then let out a sigh. Roy entered Tommy's new home and walked into his bedroom.

"I'm going to forget you just did that." Roy said, a slight bit of annoyance in his tone. His face showed a similar annoyance. Tommy rolled over and ducked his head underneath his pillow.

"Go away." Tommy's muffled voice commanded.

"Tommy, I know you're still a little ticked about this whole transfer, but honestly it's not that ba –" Tommy quickly grabbed the pillow on top of his head and tossed it at Roy's face. Roy stammered back a bit, the pillow colliding with his face.

"God, shut up!" Tommy whined as he sat up. "I'm awake now anyway." Tommy said, still a little tired. Roy was ready to charbroil him, but then he saw the look on his face, and calmed down quickly. It was one he had grown to know and understand.

"Another dream?" He calmly asked. Tommy averted his gaze.

"Is it that obvious?" Tommy replied sarcastically. Roy rubbed the back of his head nervously, and then saw Tommy's bandaged hand.

"What happened?" Roy asked pointing at the bandage.

"It's nothing." Tommy's tone was quick and short.

"You sure?" Roy asked doubtfully.

"Trust me, it's nothing. Why are you here?" Tommy was beginning to get crass.

"Well like I was saying, I know it's your first day and all but –"

"You got another job for me." Tommy said cutting off Roy. Roy simply chuckled.

"Pretty much."

"What is it this time?"

"Not entirely sure yet. Hell, I'm not even sure if it's your kind of gig, but it may be interesting to check out. You see, we have a scientist coming in today." Roy handed Tommy a folder."His name is Lawrence Livingstone, works under Brigadier General Basque Gran as a weapons manufacturer. Gran hired him to create bio-weapons for the military. In fact, this order comes from Gran himself. Seems the Brigadier General has a lot invested in Mr. Livingstone."

"So why is this guy coming here?" Tommy asked with little to no interest.

"Because he says someone is trying to kill him." Roy said sternly.

"What makes him say that?" Tommy asked as he started flipping through the pages of the folder.

"Well someone did trash his house. However, if you ask me, it looked more like a pack of wild dogs tore his place up."

"You found claw marks?" Tommy asked with intrigue.

"Look for yourself." Roy said, pointing out a picture in the folder. Tommy saw the photographed image of what looked like a door with a monstrous claw mark on it.

"Is this the front door?" Tommy asked. Roy nodded. "Oh, I am so going to have to take a better look at this place, just to be sure. Does he live close by?" Tommy said in a hurry, as he tried to put his boots on, while not taking his eyes off the information he was taking in.

"About an hour away. 2nd Lieutenants Havoc and Breda are already there taking a look around." Roy seemed pleased. He knew that once Tommy was interested in something, he would see it through to the end.

"Remind me again, which one is which?" Tommy rushed past Roy.

"Breda's the big one and Havoc will most likely have a cigarette in his mouth."

"Big Breda and smoking Havoc. Got it, let's go." Tommy eagerly said as he headed out the door. Roy grabbed his shoulder. Tommy shot him a quizzical look.

"Tommy, listen I know I've said this before but . . . please go see a doctor." Roy pleaded. Tommy sighed reluctantly

"Roy, I will go see a doctor the first chance I get. Okay?" Roy nodded and let Tommy go, following him to his car.

"His address is in the folder. If you have any questions ask Havoc or Breda."

"Thanks." Tommy said as hopped into the drivers seat of his car.

"See you later! Oh hey, listen, I need you back here at around one o' clock, okay?"

"Sure thing." Tommy reassured Roy.

"Alright, take care." Roy said as he waved goodbye. Tommy throttled the engine and with a loud screech, he peeled out of the Eastern Headquarters parking lot. As he sped down the road, Tommy couldn't help but think of Roy's words of concern.

"Maybe I should go see a Doctor. Things did start to get better when I saw one."Tommy thought. He stopped at a red light, about a block away from the house. He stared at the red orb for a long time, his thoughts drifting back to a better time. "Oh who am I kidding? That's not why the nightmares loosened their grip on me. It was because of her they stopped. It was the fact that I had someone who knew me, someone that actually understood me. It was her love and care for me that helped."

Tommy's thoughts were broken instantaneously, the sound of horns blaring behind him snapped him from his deep thinking, and made him realize that the light had turned green. He drove on and a little while later Tommy pulled up to the house that was being blocked off by yellow caution tape. He got out of his car and looked at the house with awe. It was a gorgeous two story brick house with a large living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, a medium sized backyard garden, and an enormous basement.

"Oh come on!" A man yelled from inside. Tommy walked up to listen in on the conversation. While walking up the little stone pathway, he stopped by the door lying in the front yard. He got down on one knee and examined the claw mark. Four vertical slashes ran down the middle of the door. Tommy also noted that the door was made of steel rather than wood and had three large deadbolt locks. Another thing that caught his attention was the placement of the door itself. It appeared that it had been tossed or kicked from the doorway, right off it's hinges. Tommy got up and continued his way up the stone path and up the stairs.

"You're really pushing it, you know that?" The man continued to say. Tommy saw the two Second Lieutenants, who he assumed were Havoc and Breda. Roy's description of the two, while crude, was rather accurate. Breda was a short guy, with short orange hair, and a scruffy little goatee to match. He was pretty big around the waist, but it was more muscle than fat. Havoc was a tall, lean guy, with sandy brown hair. A cigarette hung loosely from his mouth.

"Pushing it? It's pretty obvious that he's not human." Breda said.

"You two sound like you're married. What's all the commotion about?" Tommy asked. The two looked at him. They became somewhat defensive, not sure what to think of the stranger in front of them.

"Oh hey, it's you. Cooper, right?" Breda asked.

"That's my name. But please, call me Tommy." He said with a somewhat believable smile. He may not have liked the fact that would be working here but he wasn't going to be rude to his new team. The two's defensive behavior was dropped at the sound of his kind tone.

"I'm Heymans Breda and this is Jean Havoc."

"Nice to meet you two." Tommy said, shaking each one's hand. "So what were you guys talking about?" Tommy asked with intrigue. Havoc and Breda gave each other a hesitant look.

"You ever hear about the dark hero?" Havoc finally asked.

" . . . Yeah, I've heard some pretty interesting stories." Tommy said with a slight grin.

"You and me both. But, see, Breda here has the idea that the guy's some kind of alien."

"What else could he be?" Breda asked defensively.

"I'm telling you man, it's just some nut in an armor padded costume." Havoc replied as he puffed back a drag. Tommy couldn't help but smile inwardly. The alien comment made him laugh a little.

"Speaking of outfits, why aren't you in uniform?" Havoc asked. He blew smoke out of his mouth in a consistent stream.

"I don't wear a uniform. Long story. So anyway, what do we have here?" Tommy asked, looking at the crime scene; a destroyed living room.

"Well, the good news is that we checked the place and there doesn't seem to be anything missing. But the bad news is . . . well, the bad news is pretty obvious." Havoc pointed out. He was about to huff back another drag, but Tommy snatched it from his mouth.

"No offense Havoc, but your smoking is distracting." And with that Tommy chucked the cigarette out the front door. Havoc just stared, dumbfounded for a moment.

" . . . That was my last one." Havoc pitifully mumbled. Tommy just shook his head. He then gave the place a good once over.

"Someone really did a number on this place." Tommy said astounded. "Do we have any witnesses? Someone had to have heard something." Tommy asked.

"The neighbor across the street said she heard a commotion coming from inside. She didn't see anything. Her son apparently did though." Havoc mentioned as he removed a small note pad from his pocket.

"Is that so? And what did he see?"

"He said, and I quote, a giant green monster with sharp teeth and claws." Havoc said with a small chuckle. Tommy looked at him like he was high on something.

"Yeah. I tell you, kids today think of the craziest things."

Tommy didn't know what to think of the child's words. He placed the words to the back of his mind, for now. Tommy carefully stepped into the living room to get a better look at the scene. Something caught his eye, bringing his gaze down to the ground. A large impression of a foot print had been imbedded in the carpet. He got down on his haunches and examined the imprint.

"Oh yeah and then there's that." Breda said while he nervously scratched his forehead. It had the shape of a human foot, but the tips were clawed and it was massive. Tommy gently picked up the carpet and peeked underneath. The impression continued, piercing the hardwood floor underneath.

"What do you think?" Breda asked. The both of them watched as Tommy tilted his head left and right. He then switched from looking at the footprint to looking at the empty door frame four or five times.

"Well?" Breda pressed.

"If I had to guess by looking at it, I'd say our monster is a little bit over . . . seven feet tall and weighs around . . . three hundred and thirty three pounds, give or take."

"Damn!" Breda exclaimed.

"You're telling me." Tommy said as he stood up, a puzzled look on his face.

"You can tell all of that by just looking at it?" Havoc asked.

"It's what I do. I see things most folks miss." Tommy nonchalantly explained.

"Oh, so you're one of those behavioral analyst." Breda acknowledged.

"Something like that." Tommy replied.

"Okay, so you being the behavioral expert you are, what are you thinking?" Havoc asked. The two of them watched as Tommy walked out of the living room and out the front door. They followed him up to the doorway and watched as he walked down the stone path.

"When I look at that mess only one thing comes to mind. Rage. Now let's say our guy is this big and that most of that weight is body muscle. That could explain how he was able to rip that door off its hinges like that." Tommy said as he gestured towards the door as it lay on the front lawn. "Breda tell me, if you're angry and don't care who gets in your way, how would you break into someone's house?" Tommy asked.

"Well I guess if I were going through the front door I would kick it down." Breda said.

"Right!" Tommy agreed as he ran back up the stone path. He bolted past the two of them and into the living room.

"But judging from the way the door is positioned on the yard, that door wasn't kicked down. So what if I didn't come through the front door? What if I came through the back? What if I went from the back door, through the living room and out the front door?" Tommy said eccentrically while using a lot of hand motions. He then darted for the back door. To his amazement the back door was untouched. He draped his hand across it, as if he didn't believe what he was seeing.

"But why leave the back door untouched?" Tommy asked himself. Breda and Havoc stood behind him.

"Maybe he was expecting someone to be here. That's why he snuck through the back door." Havoc suggested.

"And the damage to the living room?" Breda asked Havoc.

"Simple, our guy sees that no one is home and decides to trash the place. Send a message and take out his aggression." Tommy explained simply.

"But what about those strange markings on the front door?" Breda pointed out.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Tommy lied. The markings were only an addition to the confusion that was building up inside him. What had done this? Was it human? Who or what was this thing after? What connection was there to a weapons developer? Tommy suddenly remembered to check the time.

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Tommy asked hastily.

"I think you've covered the important stuff for now." Havoc said. Tommy looked at his wrist watch and saw the time. It was five minutes to one.

"Damn. Listen guys I have to go somewhere. When you get back I want all the info you got and don't skip on the details either." He said as he headed out the door. "Oh and search the entire house. I don't care if you have to rip the floor boards, just do it." And before they could say anything else he was gone. Breda and Havoc watched him from the front door. He got into his car and quickly drove off.

"What a weirdo." Breda chuckled.

"Smart as hell, though." Havoc said.

"But weird." Breda added.

"I don't know about that. Sure he's a little eccentric, but I kind of like the guy."

* * *

Tommy was late do to traffic, for it was now two forty in the afternoon. Tommy parked his car in its original parking space and bolted for Roy's office. When he opened the door to Roy's office, he saw Roy was behind his desk, snoozing, while Breda and Havoc were going through some paper work. At another desk were two other guys, one real small with glasses and a tall guy with gray hair, older than the other guy. Tommy looked at Roy, who was heavily asleep, and slowly a deep dark smirk appeared on his face.

"What's so funny?" Havoc asked as he noticed Tommy standing in the doorway. Tommy hushed everyone, grabbed a hold of the door and slammed it shut as hard as he could while shouting "At attention, soldier!" Roy jumped up from his chair and gave of a salute. Tommy, Breda, and Havoc burst into laughter. Roy was confused for a moment but that quickly subsided and was replaced by annoyance and anger.

"Man, you should have seen the look on your face!" Tommy said trying to catch his breath.

"Oh brother, it was priceless." Breda added. Mustang shot them a look, shutting up Havoc and Breda. But not Tommy, he was still laughing as he sat down in a chair beside Breda.

"So when did you get back?" Roy asked still a little pissed.

"A few minutes ago." Tommy said leaning back in his chair casually.

"You do realize you're late, right?"

"Well from what I've heard you're not exactly Mr. Perfect Attendance Record either, Roy. Besides, looks like your scientist didn't show up."

"You know he's got a point Chief." Havoc admitted. Roy shot him another look and Havoc piped down. The door suddenly opened causing Tommy to turn his head, curious to see who was entering. He was stunned. Standing in the doorway was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid on eyes on in a good long time. Her hair was a bright blonde and she had the most wonderful light amber eyes. Her skin looked soft to the touch and was radiant and full of life. She looked like an angel right out of a painting.

Tommy was so mesmerized by her image that he leaned back in his chair to the point he fell flat on his back, letting out a giant yelp as he came crashing down. Roy broke out in laughter, similar to the way Tommy had.

"Are you all right?" She asked, concerned for his well being. Roy was still laughing and that's when the woman shot him a look that made him cease his laughter. He then slumped back into his chair. Tommy opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He got up from the ground, cleaned himself off, and finally spoke. "Y-yeah I'm okay ,Ms . . . ."

"Hawkeye, Riza Hawkeye." She replied kindly. Tommy echoed the name in his mind. She stared at him for a moment and smiled. He returned the gesture with a smile of his own. She then turned her attention to Roy. "Col. Mustang, Mr. Livingstone is here. Sorry for the tardiness but traffic was a nightmare."

"Understood Lieutenant. Thank you. Could you send him in please?" Roy asked. She was headed for the door but Tommy beat her to it.

"Please, allow me." Tommy said.

She smiled at him and said, "Thank you Lt. Cooper."

"Please . . . call me Tommy."

She nodded slightly and went back to her desk. Tommy opened the door and a tall man, roughly an inch or two taller than he was, with bright orange hair and bright green eyes, with a kind smile on his face walked in. He glanced at Tommy and then turned his attention towards Roy.

"You must be Mr. Livingstone, I presume." Roy said.

"Your presumption is correct, Colonel. I'm Lawrence Livingstone, it's an honor to meet you."

"This is Livingstone? Not what I expected. I was picturing some old guy with glasses and gray hair. This guy looks like a high school teacher."Tommy thought.

"Lawrence, I'd like to introduce you to Lt. Cooper." Roy said as he gestured towards Tommy. Lawrence glanced once more at Tommy and shook his hand. He had an unusually strong grip for someone as lean as he was.

"Mr. Cooper here is a . . . uh . . ." Lawrence looked back at Roy, giving Tommy the opportunity to mouth the words behavioral analyst.

"That's right, I remember now. Mr. Cooper here is a behavioral analyst; he came all the way from Southern Headquarters to help us protect you."

"Well I'm honored." Lawrence faced Tommy. "Lt. Cooper, if there is anything I can do to help you just say the word." Lawrence responded happily. He was rather cheery and upbeat. Tommy didn't like it.

"Well I'll let you know if you can." Tommy replied. Lawrence once more returned his attention to Mustang.

"Col. Mustang, may I ask you a question?" Lawrence asked nervously.

"Be my guest." Roy said.

"I am very generous for the protection you have given me, this is a fine team you have here, but Brigadier General Gran has made it clear that I must continue my work and I was wondering –"

"Don't worry, Mr. Livingstone, we have a lab already prepared for your personal use." Roy cut in.

"Ah, excellent, thank you very much. I hate to leave in such a hurry, but I have lots of work to do. It was nice meeting you all." He said quickly as he walked out the door.

"Well he seems like a nice guy." the small man with glasses said.

"Yeah, real polite too." the older man with gray hair said.

"What do you think, Cooper? Live up to your expectations?" Roy asked.

"Something stinks about that guy and I don't like it. Do me and yourselves a favor, try to stay away from him. At least until I know more about him." Tommy spoke sternly while staring at the doorway. Everyone looked at each other.

"You don't actually think he's dangerous or anything, do you?" the older man with gray hair asked.

"Of course not. I just don't trust him. He's holding out on us." Tommy explained. He then met everyone eye to eye.

"Every man's gotta have his secrets Coop." Hacov pointed out. Tommy hated that word. Secret. He'd heard it more times in his life than any other man should.

"Believe me when I say that I know that. But there's secrets and then there's withholding valuable information." Tommy explained bitterly.

"You think he knows who busted into his house?" Breda asked.

"It's a possibility. But it's more than that." The bitterness in his tone was gone.

"What do you mean?" Breda asked with intrigue.

"Allow me to set the scene." Tommy heard Roy chuckle to himself. "Havoc, let's say you come home and find your place has been ransacked and is completely F.U.B.A.R. How are you feeling?"

"I'd be pissed off." Havoc retorted.

"Did Mr. Livingstone seem pissed off?" Tommy asked not just Havoc but everyone else.

Riza spoke up. "He was quite the opposite. He was relaxed, calm, and collective. One would say happy." She explained carefully. Tommy looked at her and smiled at her keen eye. If she was as smart as she was beautiful then maybe Tommy could work with these guys.

"That's right." Tommy responded.

"Maybe he's just happy to be here. Maybe he feels safe." the older man with gray hair said.

"Good point. On the other hand, he seemed more focused on his work than whether or not he was safe or not. Havoc, what did you and Breda find at the house?" Tommy asked, shifting gears.

"We found a hidden door that was behind his book shelf." Havoc replied. The words only confirmed Tommy's suspicions.

"And? What was behind it?"

"We couldn't open it. Other than that we found Jack." Havoc said.

"Splendid." Tommy replied sarcastically.

"Are you sure you didn't miss anything?" Riza asked.

"The place was clean. We couldn't find anything. In fact if you ask me, it was too clean. There's something eerie about that house, Colonel, I'm telling you." Breda said as he gave his boss a worried glance.

"Okay then forget the house. Tell me more about Livingstone." Tommy said as he sat on top of Breda's desk. Bred shuffled over, annoyance on his face.

"Don't you have the file I gave you?" Roy asked.

"I do. But that's all technical stuff, I want the personal life of this guy. He pissed off someone and I want to know who."

"If you're looking for enemies then you're barking up the wrong tree, the guy's as clean as a whistle. He is divorced, though. I know that." Roy pointed out.

"Really? What happened? Do you know who left who?" Tommy asked with a child like curiosity.

"Well divorce isn't the right word exactly. She ran off with the gardener that Lawrence hired, and the two took all the money he had in his bank account. He was in a bit of a financial crisis for a bit." Roy explained.

"Does this gardener have a name?" Tommy asked.

"Not at the moment but I'll work on it." Tommy looked at the small guy with glasses.

"You, what's your name?" He asked.

"Uh, Kain Fuery, Sir." He said as he shot up from his seat.

"Okay, Kain, listen to me very carefully, I have a job for you. I want you to go down to the military archives and find me everything on Lawrence Livingstone. I want to know why Gran is funding this guy." Tommy commanded with authority. Kain looked at Roy quizzically for a moment.

"Do as he says, Fuery." Roy instructed.

"Yes, Sir, I'll get right on it." he said as he ran by Tommy.

"Now, Breda, I want you to find the bank Lawrence uses and find me everything you can on the date his account was cleared and who cleared it."

"Got it." Breda complied with a nod.

"And while those two are busy you and Lt. Havoc are going to be busy as well." Roy informed Tommy.

"Beg your pardon?" Tommy asked blandly.

"You and Havoc have to stay here and organize the shed load of evidence collected."

"Oh come on!" Tommy whined.

"You may be the expert opinion on this case, but you're still an officer. So that means paper work, written and filed by you. Falman will go back to the house and do further investigation." Roy explained calmly, gesturing towards the older man with gray hair.

"This is ridiculous, you bring me all the way up here from Southern Headquarters, and squander my talents like this? Are you nuts?" Tommy asked in hysterics. Roy just stared at him. Tommy stared back, then grumbled something under his breath, and tore his jacket off, flinging on the back of a chair. He spent the next few hours seated in his chair, writing down dates, and sorting through broken pieces of whatever he was looking at. Some of it wood, some of it glass, and the rest he couldn't make heads or tales of. His body and mind was starting to feel tired, drained, and exhausted.

"What time is it?" Tommy asked as he rubbed his sore eyes.

"It's about nine o' clock." Riza said.

"I'm going for some coffee. Anybody else want some?" Tommy offered.

"Nah, no thanks. I think most of us are calling it a night anyway." Havoc yawned.

"I'll take a glass." Riza said. Tommy nodded and walked out of the room. He strolled down the hallway, taking his time. He arrived at the brake room and entered. It was deadly quiet. Tommy saw a fresh batch of coffee, just made, sitting comfortably on the burner.

"Finders keepers." Tommy said to himself with a small smirk. He grabbed two glasses and poured himself and Riza a cup. He didn't know how she liked it so he assumed she would take it black. When he returned to the office he was shocked to see that Riza was alone in the room, sitting at her desk.

"Everyone left already?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah." she responded, not looking up at him.

"Even Mustang?" He asked as he handed her a cup.

"No, he had some running around to do." She explained as she grabbed the cup from his hand. She took one sip and immediately cringed. "How much sugar did you put in this?"

"Oh shit, sorry. That must be mine." He explained sincerely as he swapped her mugs.

"You sure like your coffee sweet."

Tommy chuckled lightheartedly. "Yeah, five sugar one cream. That's how I always take it."

"Don't you get the jitters?" She asked as she sat down. He sat down across from her.

"Not really." He took a sip from his glass. He then set his glass down and removed his holster. He took his gun out and set it on the table. As soon as it touched the surface of the table, Riza eyed it instantly.

"That's not standard issue." She said, still staring at the large pistol. Tommy just laughed. "What's so funny?" She asked, looking at him this time.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering how many times I'm going to hear that while I'm here." He said as he removed a small cleaning kit from his bag.

"May I?" She asked while extending her arm towards him.

"Sure, if you want to." He said with a smirk. He was curious to see her reaction when she picked it up. She reached across the table, picked up the gun by the handle, and suddenly realized just how heavy the damn thing was.

"Heavier than I thought. Six shot, heavy caliber rounds. Kick back must be pretty bad." She said to herself. To Tommy's amazement she was able to hold it with one arm quite easily. "It's bigger than what I'm used to handling." She remarked as she admired the gun. Tommy bit his lip, trying not to laugh. Riza noticed this and realized what she had just said.

"That . . . sounded pretty bad, didn't it?" She asked, her cheeks turning a slight pink.

"It wasn't as bad as you think." Tommy admitted.

"I apologize." She said as she handed him his gun back. He took it from her hands, his fingers gently brushing against hers. Tommy didn't know if she noticed.

"There's no need to apologize, it was cute." Tommy replied with a shrug as he started to take his pistol apart.

"I appreciate the kind gesture. And thank you for the coffee." And with that she went back to her work. Tommy took a moment to look at her and then went back to cleaning his gun. After an hour or so Riza eventually left. Only Tommy remained, working hard into the night.

* * *

Lawrence Livingstone sat at his temporary desk, papers and test beakers strewn about it. He sat there, nervously resting his elbow on the cold steel table. His shaky hands held up a phone to his ear. He covered his eyes with his free hand, embarrassed and angry at the man at the other end of the of the phone call.

"Yes General Gran, I understand. Yes, I will have it all in by the time you arrive here. Good bye." Lawrence mumbled pitifully. He then hung up the phone. He ran his fingers through his hair and removed his glasses. "I suppose I'm left with no other option." He spoke slowly and to no one but himself. Then, a small, but devious smile, curved his lips.


	4. Chapter 4: Buried Memories

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 4: Buried Memories**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Guyver or Fullmetal Alchemist**

**AN: **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in Italics it means it's a flash back. _Just thought I'd clear that up.

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 4

Buried Memories

"Come on, Chief, do you honestly need two cups of coffee?" Havoc asked as he trailed his boss. Roy Mustang walked briskly towards his office, two mugs filled with coffee in each hand.

"One; get your own coffee. Two; I'll have as many cups as I wish. And three; the other one isn't for me." Roy explained.

"Then whose the other one for?" Havoc asked as he opened the door to the office. Then he saw it. Tommy Cooper was sprawled on top of the desks, staring up at the ceiling as if he were studying it. He had big dark bags under his eyes and he was breathing slowly.

"Is he all right?" Havoc yelled in a worried tone. Roy just casually walked up to Tommy and held one of the cups over his head.

"You're going to put yourself into the hospital one of these days, pulling these all nighters." Roy blandly told Tommy as he looked down at him. Tommy lazily brought his hand upwards, almost as if the hand had a life of it's own, and grabbed the cup. He lurched upwards into a sitting position and slowly drank from the glass. Eyes half open, he turned toward Roy and grumbled lazily, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Roy said as he sat down behind his desk. At that moment, Breda walked in.

"Cooper! Great, you're already here! Have I got something for you." Breda announced happily upon seeing Tommy. He was curious as to why he was on top of the desks and why he looked so groggy.

"A nice tall glass of wake the fuck up?" Tommy asked. That got a laugh out of Havoc.

"Better. I know when and who cleaned out Lawrence's bank account." Immediately upon hearing the words, Tommy seemed to wake up and pounced off the tables.

"That a boy, Breda! When and who?" Tommy excitedly asked. Roy chuckled quietly. Tommy, Roy had quickly learned, always had this energy whenever he worked on a case. Any other time, however, it was fifty fifty. Some days he was fine. While other days . . . Roy didn't like to think about those other days.

"Hold your horses boy-oh. There wasn't much that I could get my hands on. Only a name and a date. According to the bank manager, the rest of the information had been lost." Breda explained.

"Lost never means lost, Breda. I smell a rat." Tommy said fiercely.

"You sure that's not you?" Roy laughed.

"Hey I showered . . . yesterday." Tommy thought for a moment. "Permission to go bathe, Sir?" He asked.

"Cooper, never ask me that again." Roy responded before reading his newspaper.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tommy said as he left the office. Breda followed him out.

"Anyway," Breda continued as he and Tommy walked down the hallway. "Like I said, there wasn't much information to be found. But what I did find may be enough."

"I'm listening." Tommy said.

"The money was cleared out by Lawrence's wife, Sarah."

"The wife, huh? Interesting. And when was this?" Tommy asked.

"Over a month ago." Breda explained.

"Do you have any information on the gardener she supposedly ran off with?"

"No, but getting it shouldn't be a problem."

"Have it to me ASAP. I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy today."

"Can do." Breda said with a nod.

* * *

He had just finished re-bandaging his hand after getting out of the shower when a knock at the door caught his attention. He grabbed his jeans and put them on before heading for the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" He hollered. "Damn, Mustang, I haven't even been gone half an hour!" He shouted as he opened the door. Standing in the wood frame wasn't Roy, but rather Riza.

"Lieutenant." She acknowledged. She also acknowledged that he was shirtless and rather muscular as well. She only stared for a moment and then quickly brought her eyes back up to his.

"You know, when you blush it's really noticeable." Tommy coyly responded as he leaned against the door frame.

"Is it?" She responded, her eyes focused on his.

"Yeah. It's cute." He said.

"Lieutenant Cooper, that's the second time you've called my blushing cute. I'm starting to think you're hitting on me." She replied, sounding unimpressed.

"And if I was?" He casually asked. The question had taken her back a bit, caught her off guard.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked, a bit flustered. Tommy just laughed.

"Never mind. What brings you here?"He asked. She smiled.

"Col. Mustang wants us to go back to Mr. Livingstone's house. Officer Falman was unable to find anything of particular interest at the house. Col. Mustang thinks you may be able to find something more if it were just you and I there." She explained.

"Just me and you?" Tommy responded. Tommy looked at her for a second with caution. He suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable around her.

"Is that a problem?" She asked.

"No!" He snapped quickly. She stared at him for a moment. Tommy then composed himself. "I mean, of course not. Sounds good. I just need to put a shirt on." He replied, slowly backing away.

"I'll meet you outside." Riza said.

* * *

The two of them ended up taking Tommy's car. There was a sort of heavy tension around them, not necessarily an awkward silence, but something very similar. Tommy drove while Riza sat in the passenger seat next to him.

"Twenty minutes. For twenty minutes I've been sitting here and she hasn't said a word to me." Tommy thought.

"He seems nervous. I didn't stare at his chest that long, did I? No, I didn't, I'm sure of it. Maybe I should say something. No, don't do that, I'm sure if he wants to talk he will."Riza thought. Tommy quickly glanced over at her from time to time, and she did the same.

"God dammit! Why did I have to call her cute. Twice. Should I apologize? No! If you open your mouth something stupid is just going to spill out. Wait, what am I thinking? This isn't the first time I've been alone with her, so why am I acting like this now?" He frantically thought.

"Oh this is ridiculous, I'm acting like a little girl. Just say something to him." She thought.

"That's it! I can't take this anymore!" Tommy's mind screamed. He opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Riza beat him to it.

"So . . . are you liking East City?" She asked, breaking the unnerving silence between them.

"Uh, it's okay. I've been here a few times on previous jobs. I'm used to it by now." He said as he kept his eyes on the road. Riza then noticed Tommy's bandaged hand.

"What happened to your hand?" She pointed out.

"Oh, that?" Tommy asked, looking at his hand and made a fist, stinging when he did. "I cut myself by accident." He explained.

"What did you cut it on?" She asked. He returned his hand to the steering wheel.

" . . . I dropped a plate on it." He quietly lied.

"Oh." Riza replied casually. After that there was another long silence. Again, it was broken by Riza. "So how long have been in the military?" She asked.

"Around ten years," He responded. "You?"

"I joined when I was eighteen." She replied.

"Eighteen?" Tommy responded with a perplexed look on his face.

"Yes, why?" She asked, looking at him curiously.

"How old are you?" He asked as he looked over at her. They had come to a red light, so Tommy was free to focus his attention on her.

"I'm twenty five." She informed him. Tommy's face contorted into a mixture of shock and impressed.

"Huh, you look a lot younger." He commented.

" . . . Thank you." She replied happily. "How old did you think I was?" She asked, curious to hear his answer.

"I would've guessed . . . twenty. Hell, you look like you could pass for nineteen at best." He admitted. She simply smiled.

"I'm no pencil pushing cadet, Mr. Cooper." She slyly replied.

"Never said you were, Ms. Hawkeye." He said with a heart melting smile. Riza started to blush.

"You know, flattery will get you nowhere." She said, ignoring the obvious redness in her cheeks.

"No, but it doesn't hurt to try." He replied as he began driving again.

"I suppose that's a nice way of looking at it." She admitted. Suddenly, a thought popped into Tommy's head.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied.

"Are you and Mustang . . .?" He paused, hesitant to ask.

"Are me and Mustang what?" She asked. Her smile quickly faded.

"You know . . . together?" He implied.

"Me and the Colonel? Together? No. No, that's out of the question." She strongly assured him.

"Why's that? Is there a Mr. Hawkeye?" Tommy asked jokingly. Deep down, though, he really hoped she would say no.

She shook her head. "No, I'm single. Why?" She asked.

"I was just curious." Tommy answered nervously. She started to smile again.

"I can't help but notice that sometimes you stare at me." She pointed out.

"I'm not staring, I'm simply checking you out." He replied casually, not realizing what he had said. Then he realized. Tommy gripped the steering wheel tightly, his bandaged hand stinging. "Why the fuck did I say that?" Tommy mentally shouted at himself.

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend, Mr. Cooper." She denied sweetly. Tommy stopped squeezing his hand so tightly, and a devious smile formed on his lips.

"Yes you are." He responded wryly. She dropped the smile and exchanged it for a more serious look.

"I beg your pardon?" She said, the sternness in her voice was evident.

"I never said anything about being your boyfriend, I was simply stating that I think you're attractive." He pointed out.

"Which you've mentioned at least twice." She said flatly.

"Three times actually. But never the less, you're the one who insinuated that I wanted to be your boyfriend. Not me. Which tells me that you are either looking for a boyfriend or already have one. Otherwise you wouldn't have said anything." He smugly explained. He then looked over at her with a victorious look on his face. She stared at him for a moment.

" . . . You can be really snarky, you know that?" She mentioned, still stern.

"Yeah, I know. But if it really bothered you, you wouldn't be smiling." He countered.

"I'm not smi –" She stopped when she noticed that she was in fact smiling. Embarrassed, she turned away, looking out the window, and wiping the smile off her face. Tommy just laughed pleasantly and returned his eyes to the road.

"Well what about you, Captain Charisma? You seem like a nice guy. Do you have some one special waiting for you back home?" She teased.

". . . No . . . not really." He lamented. Riza watched as his face lost all interest in the conversation. He drew inward, shielding himself from Riza. He parked the car in front of Lawrence's house.

"Let's get this over with." Tommy said flatly. They got out of the car and made their way inside. This was the first time Riza had seen the wreckage. Needless to say, she was taken aback by it. Most of the mess was cleaned up by Breda and Havoc collecting evidence, but a large remainder of the destruction remained behind. The couch was almost torn in half, the walls and ceiling looked like they were attacked by a swarm of flying razor blades, and everything else was either smashed or destroyed beyond recognition.

"I find it hard to believe that one man did this." Riza stated.

"You'd be surprised what a guy can do when he's really pissed off." Tommy commented. Riza didn't like the way he said that. But she ignored it.

"I suppose. Still, you'd have to be pretty angry to rip a couch in half." She rephrased.

"Or really determined." Tommy chimed in.

"Do you think he was looking for something or do you believe that this man was out to kill Mr. Livingstone?" Riza asked.

"Both are a good possibility. If Gran has an interest in this guy then he's got to be worth some value to someone. And I don't care if you're the nicest man in the world, if you're working for Gran, you're bound to make a few enemies." Tommy pointed out.

"Inevitable, really." Riza agreed as she examined the living room.

"Come on, let's go check out that hidden door." Tommy said as he walked past her. Carefully stepping through the crime scene, Riza followed Tommy to the library. There stood a bookshelf that had been pulled away from the wall to reveal a heavy iron door.

"How did they even find this?" Riza asked.

"They must have saw these." Tommy pointed out. She looked down to see him kneeling on one knee, his hand draping over small scratch marks on the hardwood flooring.

"Looks like this bookshelf has been opened quite a few times." Riza said. Tommy got up and tried to turn the door knob. It didn't budge. He then shoved his shoulder into the door and it still wouldn't open. Tommy sighed miserably as he backed away from the door.

"Think he'd mind if I just shot the lock off?" Tommy asked.

"That's a bit unnecessary. I'm positive Mr. Livingstone will give us the key to the door if we ask him. We'll just have to come back later. For now, let's just check out the backyard." Riza suggested. Tommy nodded and followed her out the back door. They were pleasantly greeted by a beautiful collaboration of different colored flowers. Everything from lilacs to roses were present, displayed not in neat little rows, but rather a large and wild bunch that blended all the colors together.

"Call me crazy, but I think this guy likes to garden." Tommy spoke with such sarcasm and blinding mockery that Riza had no option but to just smile and roll her eyes. "Oh come on, that was funny." Tommy laughed. He had obviously gotten over Riza's comment about him being single. Still, she felt a little bad for picking on him.

"Uh huh, I'm sure it was." Riza said with a hint of sarcasm. She was stepping in front of him when her foot caught something, causing her to trip. She was able to brace her landing and fell to her hands and knees.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned, as he helped her off the ground.

"Yeah I'm fine." She responded as she brushed the dirt from her pants.

"What did you trip on?" Tommy asked. Riza turned and looked at the ground. Buried within the tall grass was an old rusty garden shovel. Tommy saw it too. But something else caught his well trained eye.

"The nerve of some people. This could have killed me." Riza commented, ticked off at the laziness of whoever took care of the garden. Tommy didn't say anything. "Tommy? What is it?"

"The ground, it's been disturbed. Someone was digging here recently." Tommy pointed out as he looked at Riza. He then reached down and grabbed the old shovel. Without warning, he plunged down and stabbed the earth.

"What are you doing?" Riza asked.

"There's something here. I know it." Tommy explained as he hauled a chunk of dirt out of the ground.

"Cooper, this is going to get us in trouble, you can't just start defacing a man's property." Riza explained with a sharp tone. Tommy just chuckled as he continued to dig.

"You've got a lot to learn about me." He stated. Riza stared at him for a moment. She let out a rough sigh. Her keen eyes scanned the garden. When she saw an old garden shed tucked in the corner of the yard, she quickly sprinted over and opened the door. Tommy worked steadily away, tossing his leather jacket to the ground in order to move with more ease.

"Give me the shovel." Riza commanded him from behind. He quickly spun around, ready to snap back at her for giving him a hard time. But he didn't snap at her. He saw she had a large pickaxe in her hands.

"Where did you get that?" Tommy asked.

"There's a small shed hidden back there. Kinda surprised you didn't see it." She said as she handed him the pickaxe. He took it from her hands and she took the shovel.

* * *

Tommy and Riza had been digging for over half an hour, and as the day went on the sun only got hotter. Tommy wiped the sweat from his forehead, and continued swinging down and pulling loose dirt from the small hole they had been working on. Riza set her shovel down for a second and took off her military jacket. Tommy glanced over at her, seeing that she wore one of those tight black military issue T-shirts. Seeing it fit her form made Tommy realize just how curvy her body was. He found himself staring at her for moment. He knew it was wrong, acting like an immature teenager, but he continued to stare at her figure anyway. Riza could see out of her peripheral vision that Tommy was checking her out. Normally, she would have turned around and scolded him, maybe even slapped him. But she didn't actually mind it. She felt okay with it. She smiled slightly and went back to shoveling. Just then, she heard a noise from behind her. She instinctively pulled out her gun, spun around, and was ready to fire. To her relief, it was just Havoc.

"Damn, Hawkeye, relax it's just me!" Havoc cried as he put his arms up in defense.

"Sorry, but you know better than to sneak up on me like that. What are you doing here, anyway?" Riza asked as she holstered her gun.

"You've been gone for over an hour, so the Colonel sent us to find out what happened to you two." Havoc explained as he settled down.

"Us?" Tommy questioned.

"Yeah, I got Falman in the car out front." Havoc explained.

"That's the older guy, right?" Tommy asked. Havoc nodded. He then noticed the hole.

"Geez, you've been busy." Havoc declared as he got down on his haunches. The hole was about five feet deep with Tommy and Riza standing smack in the middle of it.

"That obvious, huh?" Tommy sarcastically replied as he began to remove more dirt from the hole.

"You two are pretty good at this. You should quit the military and become grave diggers." Havoc jested with a chuckle. At that very second Tommy stopped digging, and the air became thick with tension.

"I think I just did." Tommy responded grimly. Havoc's eyes snapped wide open and Riza had to take a step back. A small, dirty, skeletal hand stuck out of the ground, as if the person underneath was trying desperately to escape.

"Damn." Havoc muttered under his breath. Tommy just stared. His ears then perked up.

"You hear that?" Tommy asked.

"Hear what?" Riza asked. Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering cried out to the three of them. Havoc stood up and gazed in the direction of the sound. Near the second floor window, a shadowy figure could be seen rummaging through the room.

"I thought Mustang just sent the two of you." Havoc stated.

"He did." Tommy replied fiercely.

"Hey, you!" Havoc hollered at the person inside. The man inside stopped for a moment, staring out the window for a brief second before quickly darting out of sight. Tommy then jumped out of the hole and started running for the front of the house. Havoc was about to follow.

"Jean!" Riza shouted at Havoc, causing him to turn back. He reached down and helped Riza climb out of the grave. Tommy, meanwhile, had sprinted up to the front of the house in time to see the fleeing man run down the street. Tommy took off after him, just as Riza and Havoc exited the front of the house. Tommy tried his hardest to keep up, but the man was moving unusually fast. Tommy, pressing his body against it's limit, yanked his pistol from his holster and quickly fired one round into his target's back. But it didn't stop him. Tommy heard him grunt, but that's it, he didn't slow down and he didn't fall to the ground like Tommy had hoped. The man thought quick on his feet and turned sharply to the left in an attempt to loose his pursuer. Tommy skidded on his heels as he tried to turn. He instead fell to the concrete below. Tommy looked down the street and saw that his foe was looking back at him. He could have swore he heard him snicker with glee. Tommy growled angrily as he got on one knee, pulled back the hammer, and fired one round into the leg of the fugitive. He grunted again, and again, it didn't stop him in anyway.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Tommy roared as he leaped to his feet. The chase continued until Tommy found himself following the man into a nearby train yard. Tommy saw him enter an old abandoned railway factory. He quickly made his way up to the door he had seen the man enter through. Slowly and carefully, he pulled the door open, his pistol at the ready. Before he could react, his arm was grabbed and he was yanked inside. The fleeing man was hiding to the side of the door, waiting for Tommy. Tommy collided with the ground with a loud smack, crashing into a small pile of scrap meta, landing on his chest. His gun was tossed from his hands.

"You're too good to be State Military. Who sent you? Was it Guyot? Tell me!" The man demanded, his voice deep and raw sounding, like he had a seriously sore throat. He grabbed Tommy by the shoulders and picked him up off the ground. Tommy spun around and punched him in the face, sending his attacker staggering back. Tommy cringed and cursed, realizing he had hit him with his cut hand. This was the first time Tommy was able to get a good look at the guy and took in every detail. He was wearing a long gray hooded rain coat, with the hood drawn over his face. He was hunched over, like the upper half of him was too heavy for the rest of his body to support. Much to Tommy's surprise, he took a boxing stance. Tommy took a fighting stance of his own.

"You sure you wanna do this, asshole?" Tommy asked. He responded by quickly jabbing with his left, aiming for Tommy's head. Tommy ducked down, dodging the incoming punch, and shot upwards with an uppercut, connecting his fist with the man's chin. Tommy cringed in pain again, which didn't make any sense to him. He made sure, this time, to not hit him with his wounded hand. The man went back and landed on his ass. Tommy shook the pain from his hand.

"I bet that hurt, didn't it?" The man asked smugly, picking himself up off the ground.

"Shut up. Now who are you and what were you doing in that house?" Tommy interrogated. The man ran at him and tackled him to the ground, grabbing Tommy by the jaw. He pinned him there, staring into Tommy's eyes.

"I knew you were going to be trouble, from the moment I saw you!" He hissed angrily.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tommy managed to grunt. Just then, the door Tommy had entered through moments ago was being kicked down by Havoc, pistol in hand.

"Don't move!" Havoc hollered. While he was distracted, Tommy reached around him and grabbed the closest object. His fingers wrapped around a rusty piece of pipe, which he then swung upwards, hitting his attacker in the side of the head. The pipe broke in half, but did manage to get the man off of him. Tommy scurried to get away from him and the man did the same.

"I said don't move!" Havoc shouted. When he didn't comply, Havoc shot two rounds into his back. He grunted loudly, stumbling a bit. But he still managed to get up and crash his way through the metal walls of the railway factory. Havoc was confused for a moment and just stood there, watching Tommy chase after him.

"What happened?" Riza asked as she entered. Havoc just stood there, not sure what to think. Elsewhere, Tommy was, again, running after the man. He smiled when he saw him running straight into a dead end, an alley way that went no where. Tommy slowly stopped running and instead took his time, leisurely walking up to him.

"Looks like you got no where to go." Tommy mocked smugly. The man hastily looked for a way out, even though one was no where in sight. Riza and Havoc eventually arrived, guns cocked and ready.

"You okay, Cooper?" Riza asked.

"Nothing serious, I'll be fine. Him, on the other hand, is gonna get the ass whooping of a life time if he doesn't come with us quietly." Tommy threatened. The man continued looking around the alley way rapidly, ignoring the military officers. He then quickly looked up, seeing the edge of the roof. He then looked back at Tommy.

"This isn't the end of this, Cooper. Bradley's precise military will burn at my hands! And I will be the one to run this world!" He shouted maniacally. And before Tommy could even contemplate what he was talking about, he jumped up, soaring upwards, and grabbing onto the ledge of the roof. Neither of them did anything to stop him, the three of them just watched, confused and mystified at what they had just seen.

* * *

Havoc, Tommy and Riza sat silently at their desks, the sun setting slowly in the distance. Havoc was leaning back in his chair, a fresh cigarette smoking in his mouth. His hands were a little jittery and his eyes were still wide with shock. Riza seemed to be calm. She wasn't shaking or wide eyed. Rather, she was confused. She kept on playing out the scene she had witnessed over and over again in her mind, trying to make some sense of it. Tommy just sat there with his head hanging low. He fought desperately to keep his eyes open and he was losing. He was going to fall asleep any minute if he didn't do something. Just then, Havoc spoke up.

"It's his wife." Havoc said somberly. Tommy and Riza looked at him. "The body you guys found. I mean, who else could it be?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Lieutenant. That body could be anyone." Riza reasoned calmly.

"Relax, Jean." Tommy said gently, but tiredly.

"I'm trying." He stated. After the mystery intruder had gotten away, the three of them headed back to Livingstone's house to call for back up. Soon after, Mustang, followed by an ambulance, arrived. He didn't say anything. The three of them just got in a car and sat there, waiting. When they got back they were greeted by a very upset General Hakuro, a man of great authority who was generally very kind. He was in Eastern Command on behalf of Brigadier Gran, acting as his representative. And as his representative, his first order of business was to interrogate, as Tommy put it, each of them, including Falman.

"Any word on how Falman is doing?" Riza asked. She had already been interrogated and so had Tommy.

"Yeah, he's alright. That freak bashed his face against the steering wheel, but he's alright." Havoc explained as he set his cigarette down in an ash try next to him. Riza looked over at Tommy and couldn't help but notice the tired and troubled look on his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed roughly.

"I'm covered in mud, my head feels like it's been ripped in half and I'm just . . . just so tired." Tommy's words were quiet and slow. Before Riza could say another word, the office doors opened. Falman stepped halfway into the room holding an ice pack on his nose.

"Havoc, your up." He said. Havoc took a long, deep, and shaky breath. He then stood up and headed for the door.

"Wish me luck." He said with a smirk. And then he left. Tommy rested his eyes for a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to fight back the head ache he was acquiring.

"You sure you're alright?" Riza asked. Tommy opened his eyes and looked at her tiredly.

"Yeah, just a headache." He explained. When he looked back at her he couldn't help but notice . . . something. He didn't know what, but something was different about her.

"You know . . . I see the way you look at me." She pointed out. Tommy froze for a moment. Her eyes had a sultry and seductive flare to them that Tommy hadn't expected. He watched as she slowly reached up and carefully pulled out the hair clip that held her golden locks in a bun. She tossed the clip to the table as her hair, curly and wild, fell to her shoulders. Tommy's heart pounded in his chest and his breathing became quick and shallow.

"W-What do you mean?" He stuttered.

"Don't be coy with me. I see how you undress me with your eyes. That hungry and wanting look you give me when you think I'm not looking." She lustfully replied. She hooked her feet around the legs of Tommy's chair and slowly pulled him towards her. She stopped when their knees bumped up against each other. Tommy gripped the arms of his chair tightly as Riza began to drape her hands up and down his thighs.

"I didn't think you were this kind of girl, Lieutenant." He said as he tried to stay calm, a small devious smile creeping up on him.

"Don't you know?" She asked as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him. "It's always the quiet girls who are the real . . . freaks." And without so much as another word she leaned forward and pressed her lips onto his. Tommy's hands snapped from the arms of the chair to the back of Riza's thighs, pressing her into him as hard as he could. She moaned loudly as the two kissed hungrily. Tommy moved from her lips to her neck, just below her jaw line.

"Mmm, Tommy. You know what a lady likes." She moaned. Tommy nibbled on her neck gently until he heard a small click. He then felt something press against against the side of his head. It was cold. It was made of steel. It was a gun.

"Riza?" He asked nervously.

"Move. Slowly." She demanded seductively. Tommy pulled himself away from her until his back pressed tightly against the chair. Riza sat there on his lap, smiling lustfully, with a gun in her hand that she aimed at Tommy.

"What are you doing?" Tommy asked calmly.

"Tell me, Tommy. Tell me about all the girls in your life who you've let down. Why not start with that cute Xingese girl?" She suggested as she dragged the barrel of the pistol across his face.

"How do you know about her?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Ooh, tell me the story about that Ishbalan. Now what was her name?" She teased.

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." He hissed angrily. Riza smacked him in the mouth as hard as she could with the butt of her gun.

"Don't I, Thomas? What gave you the right to come into the lives of those women and screw them up?" She shouted angrily. Tommy spat blood onto the floor and looked back at her furiously. She laughed, leaned back and pointed the gun straight at the center of Tommy's chest.

"This isn't real. It won't matter if you shoot me. So go ahead. Pull the –" She squeezed the trigger and fired a bullet into Tommy's chest, blood spattering everywhere. Tommy slowly looked down, trying desperately to catch his breath as blood rapidly spilled out of his chest. Riza laughed hysterically, blood sprayed across her face.

* * *

Tommy jerked his head upwards, his vision spinning and his head pounding. He breathed in heavily and quickly looked about the room. Riza was gone. In her place was Roy, his jacket undone and two glasses filled half way with whiskey.

"How bad?" Roy asked casually. Tommy sighed angrily, grabbed the glass closest to him, and downed the whole thing.

"Bad." Tommy gasped. He coughed roughly.

"Wanna talk about it?" Roy asked.

"Not this one." Tommy said as he got up from his seat. He walked over to the large window that stood behind Roy's desk, and opened it wide. He stood there, the cold wind of the night hitting his face. He breathed in heavily, taking it all in. Roy picked his glass up and took a sip, savoring the taste.

"Good thing no one else was around. You were making quite a racket." Roy explained.

"I imagine I was." Tommy admitted. Tommy turned to face Roy. "So what's the verdict?"

"All your stories seem to match up. Hakuro doesn't believe it, but they match up. So for the moment we're at a stalemate." Roy explained, taking another sip of his drink.

"Which means the three of us can't touch this case what so ever." Tommy added.

"Not unless you can make some sense out of this." Roy replied.

"Dammit." Tommy sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to think past his headache. "You have to write up a report, yes?" Tommy asked.

"That would be correct. Hakuro needs something to show Gran. And if Gran sees this story he'll have not only my job, but yours as well." Roy warned him.

"When does he need it by?" Tommy asked.

"Tomorrow, first thing in the morning." Roy informed him.

"I'll have it on your desk by seven." He said as he set his empty glass on Roy's desk.

"Last time I checked, I was suppose to write my reports." Roy pointed out.

"You want the damn report or don't ya?" Tommy groaned.

" . . . Just don't stay up all night. Get some sleep." Roy said solemnly. Tommy waved his comment away and headed out the door. Roy sat in the office by himself. The cold air seeped into the room, sending a chill down Roy's back. He looked at what whiskey remained in his glass. Roy stared at it for a moment, and then downed the rest.


	5. Chapter5:The House of Beasts and Masters

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 5: The House of Beasts and Masters**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's it Italics it means it's a flash back. Just thought I'd clear that up._

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 5

The House of Beasts and Masters

As he had promised, Tommy wrote up a report for Mustang to give to General Hakuro, and for once actually took Roy's advice, getting a decent nights sleep at a decent hour. If you call 2 AM a decent hour, that is. Early the next morning, Mustang's team was busily working away, while Roy chatted with Hakuro. Tommy sat at his desk, frowning miserably, as Hakuro complimented Roy on "his" report. As soon as the idea of the fugitive possibly using some sort of automail enhancements hit Hakuro's brain, he immediately changed his tune.

"Thank you very much, Col. Mustang, this report should clear up all the confusion." Hakuro explained in his usual happy tone. Tommy couldn't help but notice that the small guy with glasses, Kain Fuery, was rather nervous.

"I'm glad I could help. I'll keep you and the Brigadier General informed as the investigation continues." Roy said, pleased to see Hakuro's positive reaction. Hakuro turned, report in hand, and headed for the door. He stopped abruptly at Tommy's desk. Hakuro looked at him for a moment.

" . . . Lt. Cooper, thank you for your cooperation." He said kindly. Tommy's lips curved into a very small smile.

"Don't mention it." Tommy mumbled halfheartedly. Hakuro nodded and headed out the door. Tommy watched as he closed the door behind him.

"You know, I don't hate the guy, but damn was he a waste of time." Tommy pointed out.

"Well he's gone now. Let's just focus on getting back on task." Roy suggested.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tommy remarked.

"Fuery, I do believe you have some information for us." Roy brought up. Fuery was shaking and sweating bullets. Tommy realized that he wasn't nervous.

"Uh, information?" Fuery questioned. He was scared.

"Regarding Mr. Livingstone and his connection with General Gran." Roy reminded him.

"About that. You see, the thing is . . . I wasn't able to find anything." Fuery mumbled nervously. Everyone slowly looked up from what they were doing and stared at Fuery with intense confusion.

"I beg your pardon?" Roy asked sternly.

"I went down to the archives like you said, Colonel, but as soon as I mentioned the name Lawrence Livingstone they denied me any and all access to the archives. They even asked me to leave, threatening to call security." Fuery explained in a rush. He breathed heavily, waiting for a response, a fear filled expression on his face. Tommy glanced over at Roy, and the both of them shared a troubled look.

"Relax, Fuery, you did nothing wrong." Roy reassured Fuery firmly, his eyes still on Tommy's.

"That shouldn't have happened." Tommy explained. He turned his eyes towards Fuery. "They can't just say no to you, not without a reason." He continued.

"All they said was that it was off limits." Fuery explained.

"Maybe you weren't high enough rank." Breda inquired. Fuery shook his head.

"I asked who to get clearance from and they told me that there was only one person with clearance to those files. I asked who it was, but that's when they 'asked' me to leave." He said, sounding defeated.

"Well isn't someone obviously hiding something." Tommy responded sarcastically.

"No kidding, even I can tell something's up." Havoc chimed in.

"Maybe you should have tried asking Hakuro." A voice from the door piped up. Everyone turned towards the door. Edward Elric leaned against the door frame with his younger brother, Alphonse, standing close behind him.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long. Must be those stubby little legs of yours." Roy mocked. Ed grumbled something quietly under his breath.

"Hello, Tommy!" Al said cheerfully, waving to him. Tommy chuckled.

"Hello, Alphonse." Tommy replied.

"That lead you gave us turned up squat." Ed replied blandly, as if he were bored. Roy just shrugged his shoulders.

"He has a point, Sergeant. Why didn't you try talking to General Hakuro?" Riza asked, getting everyone back on task and focused on the original conversation.

"I did." He responded quietly.

"If you know what's good for you you'll stay out of it unless you wanna disappear." Tommy abruptly said. Everyone looked at him, confused. "That's what Hakuro said to you, isn't it? That's why you were so scared around him. Right?" Tommy questioned him.

"That's . . . exactly what he told me. How did you know?" Fuery asked, positively astonished.

"Because those weren't his words." Tommy explained with such a resentment in his voice that it could have only been brought on by one individual.

"Basque Gran." Roy silently spoke, explaining both Hakuro's threatening words and Tommy's sudden anger.

"The Iron Blood Alchemist? What's he got to do with this?" Al asked.

"Hakuro was here on Gran's behalf. He himself couldn't make it out here so he got Hakuro to do it for him." Tommy explained, the resentment in his voice still present. The two brothers were then informed on the events that had transpired in their absence.

"Hell of a story you got there. Do you have any leads?" Ed asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Not as of yet." Roy informed them, sounding disappointed.

"Uh, Col. Mustang? Yes you do." Breda pointed out slowly.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Earlier yesterday, an officer questioned Lawrence and learned that the Livingstone's had hired a gardener, and who he was and where he lived. Tommy was out so I asked you to pass the message on." Breda explained. Tommy turned to Roy.

"Roy? What's he talking about?" Tommy asked, sounding slightly ticked off. Roy shrugged his shoulders. He then started to dig through his desk drawer until he pulled out a small slip of paper.

"You mean this thing?" Roy asked Breda.

"That would be it." Breda acknowledged. Before he could realize it, Tommy snatched the slip from Roy's hand and was making a break for the door.

"Come on boys," Tommy paused, looking at the slip of paper, searching for a name. "We're paying Mr. Trent Masters a visit!" Tommy excitedly concluded. Ed and Al followed Tommy out the door in a rush.

"Uh, Colonel?" Breda questioned.

"Let them be. Cooper knows what he's doing. In the mean time, Breda, I want you and Havoc to go and check on Livingstone. See if he needs anything." Roy ordered them. The two gave a salute and were out the door. They walked briskly towards Lawrence's temporary laboratory. When they entered, they both saw him working steadily away on his research, toying with a microscope whilst writing notes onto a crumpled up notebook.

"Mr. Livingstone? Everything all right?" Havoc asked as he stepped through the door, Breda behind him. The lights were off, the only source of illumination coming from the open windows.

"I suppose you could say that. I'm a little disturbed that there was a body in my backyard. But other than that, I'm fine." He replied, seeming almost tired, drained even. It was as if he had just gotten done running around and was trying to relax. He turned from his work and gazed eerily at Havoc and Breda. His eyes were cold and harsh, borderline angry.

"Oh, well that's good to hear." Havoc replied nervously, with a fake smile.

"Tell me, Lieutenant, where's Mr. Cooper? I've been meaning to chat with him." Livingstone asked.

"Oh he's out right now." Breda informed him. Livingstone groaned, agitated by Breda's response.

"Out? Out where?" Livingstone asked as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"He's off trying to find your former employee, Mr. Masters." Breda explained. Livingstone stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at Breda. His face had little to no expression, as if he were a lifeless zombie. Lawrence Livingstone had gotten into the habit of rolling up his sleeves whenever he was working hard. It was because of this habit that Breda was able to notice the size of his fore arms. Large, firm, and strong. The arms of a well trained body.

"Really? Well, I guess I'll just have to wait for Mr. Cooper to return. Thank you gentlemen." Lawrence finally replied. And with that he turned back to his work. Havoc gave Breda a worried and confused glance. They left Livingstone to his work. Lawrence listened to the sound of Havoc and Breda's boots clacking against the tiled floors of the hallway. When they faded into silence, he reached for the phone on his desk. He dialed a number. He waited impatiently for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Hello?" A man said.

"There you are, it's about time!" Lawrence hissed angrily.

"Calm down, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I need you to finish up what you are doing and let loose some specimens." Lawrence ordered.

"How many?" He asked.

"All of them." Lawrence strictly commanded.

* * *

"You're kidding, right? This place is a dump!" Ed cried out in confusion. The home of Trent Masters lied on the other side of town, a lower class district. The Masters house sat eerily on the corner of a street, surrounded by old decommissioned and still running factories. The only house that could be considered to be the home of a neighbor was far down the street. But the house Tommy and the two Elric boys stood in front of was the real focus of interest. It was an old, uncared for, and most likely uninhabited two story house. The blinds on the second story window had been drawn shut, the curtains closed tightly, and the front door locked up tightly. And all of that was under at least two layers of wooden planks. The outside walls were aged and worn out, as if the building had been standing there for years. A set of stairs leading up to a porch patio were damaged and in need of repair. Tommy glanced at the slip of paper in his hands, then looked at the building in front of him and at all of its imperfections and lack of life.

"I don't understand," Ed said slowly, snatching the paper slip from Tommy's hand. "This is the right address? But this place doesn't look like it's had a family under its roof in years." Ed pointed out, trying to understand just what the hell was going on. Tommy remained silent. The house looked older than it should have, and it was intentional. Tommy could tell. He could see it. The nails that had been used to board up the front door still had their store shelf shine, and the boards themselves had been painted a dark brown-black color, simulating the look of dead rotting wood. There were other things, but those are what he noticed first. Tommy could smell the faint lingering stench of drying paint, dancing in and around the air that surrounded the home.

"Maybe the address is wrong. I bet the house we're looking for is somewhere else on this street." Al reassuringly told Tommy. He was too distracted by the strange nature of the house to really listen to what Al was saying. Not too distracted, however, to not hear the scratching. That sound of something sharp scraping harshly against steel. He turned suddenly, reaching for his holstered pistol. When his eyes met with the origin of the scratching, the grip he had on his gun grew tight, but he didn't whip it out immediately.

"Get on the porch and get that door opened. Walk, don't run. And no sudden movements." Tommy instructed slowly and calmly, his voice a mere whisper.

"Why?" Ed asked as he and his brother turned around. They both stopped suddenly, Al let out a surprised cry. Prowling menacingly atop the car's roof was a large chimera. It's body was long and slender, but still strong and muscular; it's muscles twitching with high reflexes. Jetting out in a ring around its neck was a large, majestic, and wild black mane. Its body was covered half in thick black fur and half in a crocodile like skin, this included its thin canine like head.

It stared intensely into Tommy's eyes, growling ferociously, bearing its long sharp fangs at him. Tommy stared back at it, and just as intensely. Just then, another chimera leaped up and perched itself on the engine hood, this one looking similar to the first. Then two more showed up, appearing from behind the car.

"Oh shit." Ed blurted out.

"Remember what I said about not running and no sudden movements?" Tommy asked nervously. More chimera were approaching the three of them, seeming to appear out of no where.

"Uh huh, we remember." Ed responded nervously, his eyes darting off of the various members of the approaching horde.

"Yeah, fuck what I said. Run!" Tommy commanded, whipping his gun out, and cocking back the hammer. He squeezed the trigger. The shot rang into the late afternoon air, and the freshly killed chimera collapsed and fell from the roof of the car. Needless to say, the other beasts were not amused. The three young men ran straight for the only shelter they knew would take them in with no questions asked. With teeth and claws snapping and slashing at their heels, an entrance had to be improvised, quickly. Ed bolted up the stairs first, clapped his hands together, pressed his palms tightly against the boarded up door, and after a quick flash of light, a new entrance was created. Tommy looked back as he ran, catching a glimpse of the chimera he had shot beginning to melt and liquify.

"What the hell?" Tommy muttered under his breath.

"Get inside!" Ed yelled. His young brother dashed past him and into the house, Tommy following closely behind. Ed quickly sealed up the entrance, keeping their feral attackers at bay and concealing them in darkness.

"Where the fuck did they come from!" Tommy angrily shouted. Ed transmuted himself a little peep hole to see what was going on outside. There were now double the amount of chimera prowling about the porch patio and front yard. Ed watched carefully as several of them paced up and down the patio, sniffing and scratching for a way inside. Others were running to the back of the house. Ed hoped they wouldn't find a way inside.

"What can you see?" Al asked.

"They're trying to find a way inside." Ed informed his brother. He turned around just as a sharp claw bashed through the wooden defense and raked down Ed's back, cutting him deeply.

"Brother!" Al cried. Ed lurched forward, in an attempt to put some distance between him and his attacker, grimacing in pain. Tommy shot the foot off of the chimera and it backed off, whimpering and crying in pain as its paw flopped onto the ground, blood jetting everywhere. Al picked up his brother and cradled him in his big steel arms.

"Is he alright?" Tommy asked worriedly as he peered out the hole the chimera made in its attack.

"I'm fine." Ed growled in a raspy voice. His voice was one of a man fighting back pain. Tommy had heard and made that voice many times.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." Tommy promised, still peering out the hole.

"Please, we have to hurry. She's losing a lot of blood!" Al cried. Tommy missed it at first. But then he caught it.

"She?" He asked as he turned to face Al. All sound cut out, like someone turned down the volume. All he could hear was her heavy breathing. Tommy's eyes burned and his head started to pound. His vision blurred and cleared randomly, like a pair of binoculars trying to focus in on a constantly moving subject. What he knew was that Ed was no where to be seen, and in his place was a young woman. She was bleeding from the chest, and it looked like a gunshot wound was the cause. A little stream of blood trickled down from the crevice of her mouth, her long brown hair concealing her eyes.

"Why?" She asked. The voice struck Tommy deep inside him. His heart pounded in his chest at an extremely dangerous pace.

"Tommy, please! Do something!" Al cried.

"I thought you said you loved me? You don't shoot someone you love!" She cried in both pain and sadness. Tommy clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes watering up in both pain and anger. He dropped his gun and dropped to one knee, bringing a hand to his eyes. He nearly toppled over from trying to catch his breath. He rubbed his eyes clear and when he looked up, not only had Ed returned, but so had the rest of the world's noise. The two young boys looked at him with concern.

"Tommy?" Al spoke quietly and nervously. Tommy breathed heavily as they looked at him. The sound of another chimera claw slashing its way through the door forced him back into reality. He picked his gun up and stood back on his feet.

"Get upstairs, now!" Tommy commanded. Al ran up the stairs, his bleeding brother in his arms. Tommy made it to the top of the stairs, turned back, and fired his gun four times just as the wooden barrier was torn down. He killed three chimera and wounded one. Just like the first chimera he killed, the three he had just slain started to dissolve and liquify. At the top of the stairs stood a lone door, and the boys last defense. They entered the room that lied behind the door. Tommy slammed the door shut, pinning himself against it. The door suddenly began rattling and shaking as chimera after chimera violently banged and clawed at it. Before Tommy could tell him to do it, Al kicked open the window they had all seen when they were outside. Al was climbing out, but he stopped, and turned back to face Tommy.

"Wait! What about you?" Al asked.

"Just go, dammit!" Tommy yelled. Al looked at him for a moment and then climbed out, carefully avoiding any remaining glass. He stepped onto the roof and saw that a small handful of chimera remained in the front yard.

"We can take them." Ed spoke confidently, though still clearly in pain. Al looked at his brother and nodded. Al jumped down from the roof, Ed transmuted his arm into a small blade, and the chimera below weren't even close to being ready. Back inside the house, however, claws and teeth were starting to break through the door, scraping and nipping at Tommy's body. A pair of jaws clamped down onto his shoulder and another bit deeply into his ankle. He groaned in agony as sharp, two inch fangs gnawed and diced his flesh, right down to the bone. He took in a deep breath and screamed, "Guyver!"

Ed pulled his blade from the chest of a chimera, leaning against his brother, who stood in a readied battle stance, for support. A bright, blinding, white light caught both his and his brothers attention. The house then burst into flames.

"Tommy!" Al cried out. A dark figure shot out of the fire and smoke, rising high into the sky. The figure then came down and crashed right in front of the Elric's, dirt and dust rising up in a thick cloud. As all the earthly debris settled, a dull light shone through and the boys caught a glimpse of the Guyver armor disappearing into nothing. Tommy stood up.

"What happened? Why is the house on fire! Does that usually happen when you transform?" Al shrieked as the blaze shot thick black smoke into the air.

"No, I have no idea what happened. I changed and then . . . everything was on fire." Tommy explained slowly, not sure about what just happened. "Are you two okay?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, we're okay." Ed responded with a weak little smile. He closed his eyes, like he was about to go to sleep, and suddenly collapsed.

"Brother!" Al cried as he caught his brother from hitting the ground.

"Get him in the car!" Tommy commanded. Al hurried over and gently set his brother in the back seat. Tommy yanked open the driver's side door, taking one last look at the giant blaze. The house was consumed in flames and so had Tommy's only lead. He and Al got in the car, slammed the door shut, and sped straight for the closest hospital.


	6. Chapter 6: Skin Deep Part 1

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 6: Skin Deep Part 1**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in italics it means it's a flashback._

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 6

Skin Deep Part 1

Roy sat behind his desk, leisurely taking his time with the day's paper. Nothing interesting caught his eye. The discovery of the body Tommy and Riza had uncovered the other day was, for now, being kept from the papers. The body itself was still being examined in the morgue. Suddenly, the phone on his desk rang. Riza got to it first.

"Col. Mustang's office." She firmly spoke.

"Whoever it is, tell them I'm not here." Roy instructed nonchalantly. Riza nodded just as the woman on the other end of the line started to speak. She listened carefully to the words being spoken.

"What? That's not possible, I just saw him not an hour ago." Riza explained, a slight hint of fear in her voice. Roy peered out from behind his paper and gazed at her with a quizzical look, cocking an eyebrow. He, and everyone else in the room, watched as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the conversation. Mustang dropped his news paper when he saw the look in her eye. She had that look one gets when they feel their heart drop down into the pits of their stomach.

"Lt. Hawkeye? Is something wrong?" Fuery asked, concerned. She practically dropped the phone onto Roy's desk and just ran out of the office. Everyone shared a confused glance with each other. Roy picked up his phone.

"This is Col. Mustang, who is this?"

* * *

A nurse at the local hospital had informed Roy that she was instructed by Tommy Cooper to tell him that the Masters home on the outskirts of town had been burnt to the ground, and that he and Edward Elric had been administered to the hospital's care for treatment. That ironically lit a fire under Roy's ass, motivating him to head down to the Masters house and investigate the scene himself. He knew where Riza was going.

Firefighters were still on sight, dousing out what little flames were left. Roy stepped out of his vehicle with Havoc at his side. As they approached the smoldering scene, a small gust of wind blew what little smoke was left into their eyes. Havoc turned away. Roy didn't.

"Damn, that smells rancid!" Havoc managed to say through a rough cough. Roy inhaled, coughing slightly. The smoke had a slight medicinal scent to it, along with some kind of chemical. It was a scent familiar to the alchemist, but for the life of him he couldn't pin it down and identify it.

"Let's talk to the emergency response team." Roy said. Havoc nodded, covering his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. They walked over to an older gentleman who was busy hosing down a small flame that managed to survive.

"Excuse me, may I talk to you for a moment?" Roy asked. The firefighter took a quick glance over his shoulder. He motioned for two of his guys to shut down the water pressure. He handed the hose to another gentleman and removed his helmet. He was clean cut with silver gray hair and a thick mustache that matched.

"How can I help ya?" He asked casually.

"A couple of my men were in this house recently." Roy explained.

"They cause this?" He asked, pointing back at the scene with his thumb.

"Not intentionally, I can assure you of that." Roy said confidently. At least, he hoped it wasn't intentional.

"Yeah, well either way, it's still a hell of a mess I gotta clean up. Say, you're that Flame Alchemist. You mind taking a look at something?" He asked. Roy nodded. The fireman lead them over to one of the firetrucks and opened the passenger side door. Sitting on the seat was a small bundle of cloth. The firefighter proceeded to pick it up and unravel it. Concealed beneath was the black charred remains of what looked like a canine bottom jaw with two inch long fangs.

"What the hell is that?" Havoc asked, carefully picking up the piece of bone.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I figured a dog or something got caught in the fire. I was gonna deliver this to you myself when I had the chance. What's peculiar about it is that well . . . I don't think it was burnt. Not by the fire, anyway. If you ask me, the thing looks like it was corroded by some kind of acid, and then the fire got to it. The section where the bottom jaw meets the top jaw is gone, all smooth and rounded. It would be sharp if it was broken off." He pointed out. Hydrochloric acid. That's what the smell was. Roy realized this after seeing the rounded edges.

"Acid would certainly explain the smell. Might even explain how the house caught fire." Roy hypothesized as Havoc handed over the jaw bone to him.

"You mind if we take this?" Havoc asked.

"Be my guest. I gotta get back to work anyway, so if you'll excuse me." The firefighter said with a nod. He left the soldier and the alchemist alone with their thoughts and theories.

"You know, I'm no expert on bones or anything, but this doesn't look like it belongs to any dog I've ever seen." Havoc pointed out.

"We'll have someone take a look at it when we get back. In the meantime, we should head over to the hospital, see how Ed and Cooper are doing." Roy suggested.

"You got it, Chief." Havoc said. They both headed back to the car, but Roy stopped in his tracks. A manhole cover had been opened, exposing the sewer system ten feet below the streets. Around the edges were what looked like claw marks, as if many clawed creatures desperately climbed their way out of the city's underworld.

"Hey, one more question," Roy proposed to the firefighter. He looked over at him, putting a halt to his conversation with his other co-workers. "Why did you lift this manhole cover?" Roy inquired.

"We didn't, it was like that when we got here. Haven't gotten around to covering it up yet." The firefighter explained. Roy turned around and looked at Havoc with a mischievous smirk.

"What are you . . . no. We are not going down there." Havoc strongly retorted.

* * *

The hospital was quiet, the only sound coming from the small chatter between doctor and patient, or doctor and co-worker. Riza marched through the front doors and went straight to the front desk, where she was greeted by a young nurse.

"Hi, how can I help you?" She asked politely and with a smile.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine, he was just recently brought here with a boy. His name is Tom-" A door down the hallway suddenly slammed open.

"For God's sake, I am fine! Go check on the kid, he's the one that needs the help!" Tommy roared in anger as he stepped out of a doctor's office. A doctor and his nurse followed him out into the hallway.

"Please, Mr. Cooper, we need to make sure you're okay." The doctor argued.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I am fine!" Tommy fought back.

"Tommy?" Riza muttered with relief. Tommy looked down the hallway.

"Riza? I was expecting Roy to show up. What are you doing here?" Tommy asked as she walked towards him. He seemed to calm down upon seeing her.

"Please, Mr. Cooper, we just want to make sure. It's standard procedure." The nurse reasoned. Tommy took a deep breath and whirled around.

"Look, I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I am fine. Now please, kindly leave me be." Tommy calmly pleaded, though still clearly frustrated and angry.

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when it turns out you've got a fractured clavicle." The doctor gave in, frustrated with his would be patient. He and the nurse left Tommy and Riza by themselves. The two stood in the hallway.

"Um . . . sorry you had to see that, I kinda . . . don't like doctors. Nothing personal, I just don't jive well with them. Never have." Tommy explained nervously.

"I guess I can understand. But did you have to be so angry about it?" She asked.

"I . . . kinda have a problem with my anger." He shamefully admitted. "But it's nothing to worry about. Anyway, like I was saying, I wasn't expecting you to show up. Did Mustang send you?" He asked, quickly burying the subject of his lack of anger control.

"No, I rushed over here myself when I thought you were . . . " She paused abruptly, like she had caught herself about to say something she would have regretted. But Tommy, after a minute or so of silence, figured out why she rushed over.

"You thought I was hurt. You were worried about me, weren't you?" He asked. She nodded nervously, her eyes averting his gaze. He let out a small laugh.

"Well I appreciate the concern. It feels good knowing that I've made more friends than enemies while I've been here. Usually it's the other way around, with my attitude the way it is." Tommy admitted, patting her on the shoulder. Riza blushed a little. She then cleared her throat.

"So, what happened? Is Edward alright?" Riza asked with a professional mannerism. Tommy realized the change.

"Yeah, he's alright, he's resting right now. They haven't told me much, what with me not being his next of kin and all. As for what happened . . . there's no easy way to say it, so here it goes. We were attacked by chimera." Tommy explained.

"Chimera?" She questioned doubtfully.

"I know how it sounds, but that's what happened." He assured her.

"I see. And where is Alphonse?" She inquired as they started walking down the hall.

"Do you really have to ask?" He chuckled.

"I suppose not." She agreed. They came to a stop at Edward's room and peered in. Ed was sleeping soundly, with Al sitting by his side.

"You know . . . I don't think I've ever seen two siblings that cared this much about each other." Tommy admitted. Riza looked over at him.

"Unlike other children their age, they can't afford to bicker and have rivalries between each other. Not after what they've been through." She remarked.

" . . . I heard stories. Stories about two young boys who tried to bring their mother back from the dead." Tommy quietly admitted. Riza's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't think they were true," He continued. "Then I met them. And it wasn't the missing limbs and the lack of a real physical body that clued me in. It was their determination and perseverance. Boys their age should be worrying about school, girls, and trying to find out what they wanna do when they get older. Not them. I know they've been out there, in the real world, fighting each and every day to survive and make right what they did wrong. That's how I knew it was them." He concluded, his mind getting lost in the past. He looked at Ed, and for a split second he thought he saw her. A young Xingese girl. Tommy quickly looked away, bringing a hand to his eyes. His head twanged with pain for a brief second. Riza stared at him, not sure what to say. She reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her, his eyes heavy with melancholy.

"Sounds like you've been in their shoes." Riza reckoned in a soft and soothing tone.

"I have. I still am. I can't say I've lost as much as they have. But it's pretty close. And I've been in the real world a lot longer." He lamented. His eyes weren't staring at anything now, just gazing into nothing, thinking back to a time when he was more innocent. Riza felt obligated to say something: an apology, a statement showing her understanding. But she couldn't come up with anything. Just then, the nurse at the front desk called down the hall.

"Mr. Cooper? You have a phone call." She informed him. Tommy sprinted down the hall and snatched the phone from her hand, Riza following closely behind him.

"Hello?" He answered.

"It's his wife." Breda blurted out.

"What are you talking about? Whose wife?" Tommy asked.

"The body you found the other day. It's Mrs. Livingstone, the coroner just told me so." Breda sadly explained.

"Oh shit. That's not good." Tommy sighed frustratedly, running his fingers through his hair in aggravation.

"What? What's going on?" Riza asked. Tommy relayed the information he had just received. Her reaction was more or less similar to Tommy's, minus the profanity.

"How's Lawrence taking things?" Tommy asked.

"Um . . . I think you and I need to talk about that in person." Breda advised in a hushed tone.

* * *

"Colonel, I fucking hate you!" Havoc yelled, his words echoing through the cold stone walls. He and Mustang walked through the city's foul smelling and dark sewer system, following a long trail of claw marks. Havoc held his jacket sleeve to his face at all times.

"Hate's a pretty strong word, Jean." Roy sarcastically replied.

"I know, that's why I added the word fucking before it. To make it stronger." Havoc growled. Roy just laughed. He abruptly came to a stop, Havoc almost bumping into him.

"This is it." Roy said sternly. The claw marks stopped at a ladder that lead back to the surface.

"Finally! Fresh air and sunlight!" Havoc exclaimed excitedly. He dashed past Roy and practically flew up the ladder. He strained to push the manhole cover off, but eventually did it. He got up and was greeted by a bright, late afternoon sun and clean breezy air. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh breeze. Then he noticed where he was standing and what stood before him.

"How's that fresh air and sunlight?" Roy mockingly asked. He didn't get a response. "Havoc, talk to me, is everything okay up there?" He asked, ready to slip his gloves on.

"Colonel . . . you may wanna see this." Havoc responded. Roy climbed up the ladder and crawled out of the sewers. The sunlight blinded him temporarily, but when his vision returned he was wide eyed with shock at what he saw. Before them stood the place that started it all, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Livingstone.

"Cooper is not going to believe this." Roy said, astonished.

* * *

Riza and Tommy stepped quickly through the morgue doors. The place looked creepy, with it's clean and pristine white walls, and it's stainless steel doors that contained the dead. Tommy never liked coming down to the morgue, no matter what city he was in. East City was no different. Breda was standing next to the coroner, talking to him. On a metal slab before them was a dirty skeleton, all laid out from the examination.

"Hey, there you are." Breda said, turning away from the coroner.

"Yeah, we got here as fast as we could. Are you sure it's his wife?" Tommy asked in a rush.

"Positive." Breda responded, seeming rather sure of himself. He then handed Tommy a thick wedding band. Tommy examined it. Engraved on its underside were the words "To my loving wife, Sarah Beth Livingstone."

"Damn. I guess Havoc was right all along, huh?" Tommy asked Riza as he handed Breda the wedding band. She nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a cause of death?" Riza asked.

"The doc says it was blunt force trauma to the back of her head. As you can clearly see," Breda pointed out, making a hand gesture towards the skull on the table. The whole back half of the skull looked like it had been caved in, shattered to pieces. "It seems a shovel was used to do it." He concluded.

"The one we used back at the house?" Riza asked. Breda nodded.

"To be nothing but a skeleton and a few bits of clothing, she would have had to have been killed . . . what, a month or two ago?" Tommy inquired.

"That's right, more or less." The coroner chimed in, washing his hands in the morgue sink.

"That's roughly around the time she supposedly ran off with Trent Masters, according to Mr. Livingstone." Breda pointed out.

"Speaking of Mr. Livingstone, what exactly did you want to talk to me about? Is he alright?" Tommy asked. Breda suddenly looked about the room, as if he was making sure no one was spying on him.

"Follow me and stay quiet." He whispered. Tommy and Riza gave each other a confused look, but followed their friend anyway. He lead them out of the morgue and over to the new recruits training facility. Once inside, Breda took them to the heavy lifting and sparring area. Inside was an assortment of heavy weights and a sparring mat for soldiers to practice their hand to hand combat. Breda opened the door just a crack and all three peered inside. They all witnessed Livingstone, clad in a black muscle shirt and gray jogging pants, bludgeoning a punching bag with a terrible and brutal fury, his fists slamming violently against the sand filled leather body double.

"I think something's going on with this guy. You see, this morning I couldn't help but notice that his attitude was different. Guy practically looked at me and Jean like an angry zombie or something. Then I noticed his arms." Breda explained, pointing at Livingstone. Tommy and Riza saw that his arms were massive, rippling with hard chiseled muscles. In fact, his whole body was like that.

"He does seem to be . . . buffer." Riza awkwardly admitted, like she didn't want to say it.

"Yeah, it's really been bothering me. I mean, he's freaking huge, and I know he wasn't that big this morning. And when I told him about his wife . . . he just stared at me. Then he threw me out of his lab. After a few minutes of shouting and angrily yelling at no one, he marched out of there and headed here. He's been here ever since." Breda explained further.

"How long ago was that?" Riza asked.

"He's been here for at least an hour and a half." Breda replied. Tommy pulled them both away from the door.

"Have you told Mustang about this?" Tommy inquired.

"Not yet. I wanted to check with you before I said anything and made myself look like an ass. Besides, he's not here right now. I don't know where he is." Breda explained. Tommy cupped his chin, thinking long and hard, the sound of Lawrence pummeling the punching bag resonating in the background.

"Alright," He finally said. "Breda, go and do your damnedest to try and get Mustang down here. I'm gonna try to talk to Lawrence. Riza, I want you in there with me, but don't come too close to him. Hang back by the door and just keep an eye on the both of us." Tommy methodically and carefully explained. Riza and Breda glanced at each other, a worried expression on both of their faces.

"I'm not trying to question your methods or anything, but is talking to him really a good idea?" Breda asked.

"Trust me." Tommy replied with a mischievous smile. And before either of them could say anything, Tommy strolled into the workout area. Breda ran off in search of a way to contact Mustang. Riza followed Tommy in, but stayed by the door. Tommy slowly and carefully approached Lawrence from behind, making sure to keep his distance.

"Hey, Lawrence. How are you doing?" Tommy asked sympathetically. Lawrence slammed his fist into the bag before turning around to face Tommy. For a moment he looked confused, like Tommy was the last person he was expecting to see. Then the look in his eye was different. It was wild and feral. Tommy didn't like it.

"How am I doing? Hmm, let's see, they only just found my dead wife buried in my own backyard! How do you think I am doing!" He roared.

"Okay, I'll admit that was a poor choice of words." Tommy responded apologetically. Lawrence breathed in and out heavily. The expression in his face changed rapidly to one of great regret and sorrow.

"I . . . I apologize, Mr. Cooper. Things haven't been going . . . the way I'd hoped they would." He explained apologetically. He then sat down onto a bench next to him, throwing a towel over his neck.

"Hey, it's alright, I understand. Losing someone is hard." Tommy sympathized, but still watched him carefully.

"It's just that . . . lately I've been pressured into working harder than I should. Basque Gran likes to work his men like race horses." Lawrence disclosed. Tommy nodded, knowing this to be very true. "And this entire time . . . I thought she had run off with him." Lawrence pitifully whimpered.

"Don't beat yourself up, you couldn't have known." Tommy pointed out.

"But I should have known!" Lawrence angrily snapped back, standing back on his feet. Riza quickly placed her hand onto the grip of her holstered pistol, waiting to see if Livingstone made a move. "Lord knows I should have paid more attention to her. Now she's gone. For good. And it's all his fault." He spoke bitterly. Tommy thought for a few minutes.

"By him I assume you mean Trent Masters?" Tommy finally asked.

"Yes. Trent. That boy was pretty handy with a spade, I'll give him that. I mean . . . we've both seen his handy work," Lawrence mumbled. Tommy cocked his head to one side, a quick thought going through his head. "Mr. Cooper, If you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish up here before I go back to my work."

"Of course." Tommy said with a nod. He turned, gave Hawkeye a nod, and they both left Lawrence to his business. Riza closed the door behind them. Tommy watched as she closed the door and when he turned back around Roy was staring him in the face.

"God damn! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Tommy snapped at him. Roy just laughed.

"Sorry about that." He chuckled. "Anyway, how's he taking the news?"

"Breda told you everything?" Tommy asked. Roy nodded. "Well it didn't go as well as I planned, but it wasn't a total catastrophe." Tommy sighed roughly, looking back at the entrance to the sparring area.

"Something wrong?" Riza asked.

"A lot of things." Tommy responded.

"Such as?"

"His stance is professional. He's a real boxer, fought a couple times. Not in certified matches, mind you, but he's been in a fight more than thrice. And most likely won all of them with ease." Tommy listed off the details, almost like a machine with a witty personality.

"You think he's really that good at boxing?" Roy asked, astonished.

"I do. Hell he could probably take me on. He wouldn't win, of course, but he'd still give me a good go." Tommy arrogantly boasted with a smirk.

"He seemed quite agitated. More so when you brought up Trent Masters." Riza pointed out, ignoring Tommy's cocky attitude.

"Well he did just find out his wife was buried in his back yard." Roy said.

"That's true, but it's more than that. He was oddly specific about the kind of shovel Trent Masters used to kill his wife, a detail I'm sure Breda or the coroner didn't inform Mr. Livingstone of." Tommy added.

"Is it possible that he killed his wife?" Riza questioned.

"Maybe. But the problem around that theory is that there isn't a motive, he wouldn't have a reason to kill her. And if he did, that wouldn't explain the disappearance of Trent Masters, because if he didn't run off with Lawrence's wife then where the hell did he go? It just raises too many questions." Tommy pointed out. "It's highly unlikely that he killed his own wife. My bet is still on Masters. He had the motive to kill his would be girlfriend and take the money, he knew the Livingstone's, and he had access to the home and the garden tools." Tommy reasoned. "Also, Roy? Just how credible is this Lawrence Livingstone?" Tommy questioned.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"Something about this guy seems . . . flaky." Tommy answered, struggling to find the right word or phrase.

"Flaky?" Roy asked, questioning the choice of his friend's wording.

"Yeah, something's off about him. Something's been off about him from the start and it's just now starting to shine through. Keep a good eye on him. I have a feeling he's gonna start up some trouble." Tommy warned.

"I'll get right on that." Roy said with a smirk, obviously mocking his friend's over protective nature. Tommy was too busy with his own thoughts to notice.

"Oh yeah, the boys and I were attacked by chimera at the Masters house." Tommy nonchalantly informed Roy. Riza frowned at his bluntness and forgetfulness.

"Chimera, huh? Interesting. That would make sense. I found a bunch of claw marks around a manhole that was outside of the Masters house." Roy shared with Tommy and Riza.

"You followed them right?" Tommy inquired.

"Of course, I even dragged Havoc along. We followed the marks and they lead right back to Livingstone's house." Roy revealed, crossing his arms.

"Son of a bitch." Tommy mumbled to himself. "Is Havoc at the house?" Tommy asked. Roy nodded. "Okay, come on Riza, let's go." Tommy responded eagerly, already starting to walk away.

"Sorry, Cooper, but I need Lt. Hawkeye here." Roy objected.

"Why?" Tommy asked, coming to a halt and looking back at Roy.

"You wanted a good eye to watch Livingstone. There's no one better for that than Hawkeye." Roy explained. Tommy looked at Riza worriedly and then at Roy. This sudden feeling of fear rose in him.

"Mustang, you can't be serious?" He asked.

"I wish I wasn't. Hawkeye is the only one I have left, everyone else is busy and I have to go talk to General Hakuro one last time. I'm sorry." Roy apologized.

"Shit. Fine." Tommy grumbled. He turned to face Riza. "Promise me that if he starts acting weird you'll get the hell out of there. Okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She assured him. Tommy smirked, nodded, and left building.

* * *

Night had fallen upon the city, and the moon was full tonight. No doubt, bringing the crazies out with it. Tommy sped dangerously to his destination, Livingstone's house. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he thought of Riza being alone with Lawrence. It bothered him deeply. Something was wrong with the man and he didn't know what. He then realized that he was still wearing his bandage from when he cut his hand the other day. He angrily tore it off and threw it out the window. Tommy eventually pulled up to the house. He got out of his car and found Havoc standing on the door step, smoking.

"Man am I glad you're here. I've been trying to open that door we found, but I can't get it budge. Think you could give me a hand?" Havoc pleaded.

"You bet your ass I will, I wanna know what's behind it more than anyone." Tommy eagerly agreed. Tommy followed Havoc to the door that had been hidden for unknown reasons.

"I gave up. It just wouldn't open." Havoc said as he blew out a puff of smoke. Tommy stared intensely at the heavy iron door. "So how are you planning on getting in there?" Havoc asked.

"Like this." And with that Tommy pulled out his gun, shot the hinges holding the door up, and blasted at the lock. He then kicked the door down.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Havoc mumbled quietly. Tommy holstered his hand cannon with a smirk.

"Ladies first." Tommy teased, still wearing a smirk. Havoc just shoved him aside and went in first and Tommy followed, chuckling to himself. When they got down there, they were amazed to see that the basement was in fact a lab.

"Would you look at the stuff down here? It's like a mad scientist's laboratory. I mean this is some pretty technological stuff here. Some of this is even military designed." Havoc pointed out as he looked at some of the machines in amazement. A couple of them had a big C logo stamped on the side. Tommy saw four large kennels, and each of them had food and water bowls.

"So the chimeras did come from here. But then who let them out?" Tommy quietly wondered out loud and to himself.

"So you guys were attacked by chimeras?" Havoc asked, over hearing his partner talk to himself.

"A lot of them. Angry ones, too." Tommy informed him. There was a chalk board hooked up to the wall, and it had a cloth draped over it. Tommy pulled it down and what it revealed was a complex formula and some anatomical drawings.

"What's that?" Havoc asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm no chemist, but it looks like Mr. Livingstone was making chimeras that disposed themselves when they die." Tommy figured.

"Disposed themselves?" Havoc questioned.

"Back at the Masters house, I killed a few chimera. And when they died, they just melted into nothing but a few bones." Tommy explained.

"A firefighter found a burnt bottom jaw. The Colonel mentioned that it looked like it had been burnt by acid." Havoc revealed. Tommy walked up to the chalkboard and tapped his finger against one of the complex chemical formulas. "And this is the chemical formula for hydrochloric acid." Tommy pointed out.

"So he's made self disposing chimera. Why? What would be the point?" Havoc asked.

"I don't know." Tommy admitted. He saw that there was a door at the end of the long and narrow lab. "Let's see what's in there." Tommy suggested. Tommy gripped the door knob tightly and slowly opened the door, the hinges creaking loudly. Beyond the door was a small medical center, hidden away in the back. It had every medical tool you could think of, and then some. The place even had a few stretchers and curtains for privacy.

"Hey, look at that." Havoc said, pointing at one of the medical machinery. He was pointing at a life support machine that looked like it was being used. "That's weird," He commented, scratching his head in confusion. "Why would he have a life support system down here?" He wondered. Tommy's eyes followed the little tube that was connected to the machine as it went behind a curtain. Tommy pulled out his gun and aimed it.

"Stay behind me." Tommy commanded as he slowly moved over towards the curtain. He didn't know what was behind that curtain. Hell, he didn't want to know. But, despite what his mind was telling him, Tommy grabbed the curtain tightly and quickly pulled it open. What he saw shook him to his core and was burned into his memory forever.

On a stretcher lay the dead yet still living body of something that was most likely a man at some point in life. Certain parts of his body were mutated and deformed, the largest parts of the mutations were on his right arm, his legs, half his face, and half his chest. The mutations had caused those parts of his body to enlarge to the size of a professional athlete and turn his skin an ugly, rotted shade of green. His hands and feet were clawed at the ends and his face made him look like a monster. His eye had turned a puss colored yellow and he had multiple horns coming out the side of his face, the largest of them coming out of his forehead. His teeth were razor sharp, from the looks of them, and his chest had tubes running from him to the machine.

"What the hell is that?" Havoc screamed as he stumbled back. Tommy looked at the poor thing with empathy and realized just who it was.

" . . . It's Trent." He quietly said with a sad and disgusted look on his face.

"What?" Havoc asked, still screaming.

"This is Trent Masters." He repeated. Tommy walked up to Trent and leaned in close to his face. "Trent? Trent, can you hear me?" Tommy whispered. He didn't move for a minute, but then he slowly turned his head to look at Tommy. It made Tommy jump to see him move so suddenly.

"Yes . . . I can hear you." Trent replied in a raspy voice.

"Trent, who did this to you?" Tommy asked.

"Lawrence . . . is the one who did this to me." Trent revealed.

"I knew that bastard was too clean!" Havoc growled, enraged at this travesty.

"Why would he do this to you?" Tommy pressed.

"He . . . needed test subjects." Trent explained.

"Test subjects? For what?"

"One day while doing my daily routine of watering . . . the garden, I found out that Lawrence . . . had killed his wife and buried her. He . . . knocked me out, and when I woke up I found myself attached to this machine . . . and he was injecting me with something. That's when I turned . . . into this thing. He said that I was the future of his military." He explained, taking long pauses to catch his breath every so often.

"The future of his military?" Tommy repeated, confused.

"Good God, he's gonna turn people into his own personal bio-weapon army." Havoc realized.

"Yes. Thanks . . . to me he was able to create the formula for turning humans . . . into the ultimate killing machines. He calls them . . . Zoanoids. You can't let him get away with this, he must be stopped." Trent told them furiously. He coughed hard and struggled to catch his breath.

"We'll worry about that later, first we have to get you out of here." Tommy replied, more concerned about Trent's health than the bio-weapon army that could be coming.

"Don't bother . . . I'm as good as dead. The only thing keeping . . . me alive is that damned machine. And even if I live, what then? I look like a monster. I'm better off just staying dead." Trent sadly reasoned. Trent reached for the chord that was out of his reach. Tommy looked down at him in pity. He then slowly handed the cord to him. Trent then pulled the power cord to his life and slowly and peacefully died. Tommy put his hand to Trent's eyes and closed them.

"Was that really the ethical thing to do?" Havoc asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't really care either way. A good man at the end of his life, begging for death, was just inches away from the one thing that could free him and he couldn't do a damned thing about it. Was it ethical? Fuck no, I just killed an innocent man. Was it right? Yes it was. No one deserves to live like that. No one." Tommy reasoned with a coldness in his voice. Havoc didn't know what to think about it. He didn't agree with the act Tommy had just committed, but he could see where he was coming from. Tommy looked back at Trent's body.

He didn't know what kind of man Trent was, but he knew he was a good one. More importantly, he could relate to him. Sometimes he felt like a monster too. The way he looked and acted when he wore the Guyver suit, it was like a second personality. He hated it sometimes. Other times . . . he enjoyed it. And that scared him more than anything.

"What do we do now?" Havoc asked. Tommy scanned the room quickly and that's when he saw a journal resting on top of a desk. Tommy walked over to the desk that was in the corner of the room and picked up the small journal. Underneath it was a small framed picture. The image within the small frame showed a man, early in age, proudly wearing a light baby blue one piece jumpsuit. He had a rake in his hand and he was smiling brightly. He was Trent Masters. Tommy cringed, picked up the photo and stuffed it into his pocket. He then opened up the journal, going for the latest entry. As he read the words on the page to himself, the apparent threat quickly escalated.

"We have a seriously bigger problem than we expected." Tommy responded with a sense of fear in his voice.

"Why? What does the book say?" Havoc asked.

"The last entry in here states that Lawrence has perfected his formula and made more than one serum. Listen to this." Tommy began to read aloud the entry. "The tests I've done on the chimera have suggested that there may be a chance that if injected into a human, or a creature with a strong enough will, that said person or creature can transform back and forth between forms, unlike Trent. But there is still a problem. So far these are speculations and the Brigadier General has forced me to . . . "Tommy stopped reading.

"Tommy what's wrong? What does it say?" Havoc asked. Tommy slowly turned around with a pale look on his face.

"It says . . . the Brigadier General has forced me to test it on myself . . . and the results are more than acceptable." Tommy fearfully read aloud.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that Livingstone can, what, transform into a monster?" Havoc responded, the doubt clear in his voice. Tommy looked around the room, trying to make sense of what was going on. Then he saw it. A coat rack in the corner. And it had a long gray hooded rain coat hanging off it. Tommy walked over and grabbed it.

"That son of a bitch. He was the one who attacked us the other day. This whole time we were looking for the man we were protecting!" Tommy growled angrily, throwing the coat to the ground.

"Okay so Livingstone turns into an angry beast and destroys his home? Why?" Havoc pressed. Tommy frantically flipped through the pages of the journal, searching.

"It says here that he needed some specific equipment that he couldn't afford. He also needed higher quality equipment and ingredients and our labs were ripe for the picking. His words." Tommy slammed the journal shut and threw it back onto the table.

"That rat bastard played us like a fiddle! He's probably in the lab right now, finishing his little project up as we speak." Havoc angrily assumed.

"Oh shit!" Tommy cried out in fear. He then darted out of the basement. Havoc followed him out of the house and to his car. He caught up to him as he was just getting in.

"Whoa! Slow your role, what's the rush?" Havoc huffed.

"Livingstone is at the laboratory in HQ!" Tommy explained, the fear still in his voice.

"So?" Havoc asked, missing the point.

"Riza is with him!" Tommy snapped back.

"Oh damn." Havoc muttered under his breath.

"I need you to get a hold of Roy and give him that notebook. Tell him that he may need to prepare an attack force." Tommy ordered. Havoc nodded and Tommy burnt rubber, speeding off into the night, hoping he wasn't too late.


	7. Chapter 7: Skin Deep Part 2

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 7: Skin Deep Part 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in italics it means it's a flashback._

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 7

Skin Deep Part 2

Riza watched from a distance as Livingstone mixed a few compounds together in a test tube. He had a large smile on his face when the two chemicals reacted with each other, glowing brilliantly. Riza didn't like the way he smiled. In fact, she didn't like the way he had been acting over the past hour or so. Every once in a while, he would just stare at her with dead eyes and go back to his work. He also kept on remarking at how much she reminded him of his wife.

"I hope I'm not boring you, Lieutenant." Lawrence said without looking at her.

"No, not at all." She responded with a fake smile. She honestly wasn't bored, just tired. Of him awkwardly flirting and hitting on her. Actually, the more she thought about it, she was sick of it. But she couldn't blame him. He had just found out his wife was murdered, and she figured he took comfort in having someone around that reminded him of her. Livingstone put the test tube down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked at Riza, once again and just stared at her.

"Why does he keep looking at me like that? It gives me the creeps." She thought. "Mr. Livingstone is there something I can help you with?" Riza asked.

"No. It's just so remarkable . . . how much you look like my wife." He remarked.

"I know, you've mentioned it before." She responded in a polite manner.

"Well I mean it. She really was a wonderful woman. Smart, pretty, calm, and relaxed. You know she was the one who wanted the garden. I really didn't like it, but it was what she wanted, and like a good boy I did what I was told to do." Lawrence explained as he got closer to Riza. A shiver shot down her spine. Now he was starting to scare her a bit.

"Is that so?" Riza responded calmly, even though his proximity towards her was getting a little too close for comfort. She watched as he inhaled deeply through his nose and smirked.

"Am I scaring you, Miss Hawkeye?" He asked with an eerie smile. The question shot another cold, tingling, sensation down her spine.

"No." She answered, trying her damnedest to stay calm.

"Come know, don't lie to me." He responded slyly.

"Really, you're not." She assured him.

"I said don't lie to me." Lawrence angrily hissed. His face suddenly showed incredible anger and Riza could see the rage in his eyes. So she decided to fight back.

"Mr. Livingstone, I have no idea how you treated your wife, but just because I look like her does not mean you can talk to me like I am her!" She snapped back. Lawrence went right up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"You listen to me you little-" Riza shot back with a fist to his face, cutting his sentence short. The punch sent him flying towards a lab desk, where his head collided with the corner of it. His body hit the floor with a loud smack that echoed throughout the empty lab room. Riza watched as he laid there, motionless.

"Oh God, please tell me I didn't kill him." Riza thought. Lawrence let out a large moan as he picked himself up off of the ground. Riza let out a sigh of relief. She was partly grateful she hadn't killed him. Lawrence stood up and looked at Riza, allowing her to see the large gash on his forehead that the desk corner had left behind.

"Mr. Livingstone, are you-" She stopped. She watched in horror as the gash miraculously healed all on its own within seconds. Lawrence twisted his neck left and right, cracking it twice. He then stared her down with intimidating eyes.

"Now you've really pissed me off." He hissed.

"I could say the same to you!" Cried a voice from behind Lawrence. He turned around to see Tommy greet him with yet another fist to his face, followed by a knee to his stomach. Tommy tossed him over a desk and onto the floor. Riza couldn't have been happier to see him.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked as he ran up to her.

"I'm fine. Did you see what happened? I mean with his forehead." She asked, making sure she wasn't going insane.

"Yeah, I saw it." Tommy replied as he looked at Lawrence. "So tell me Doc, why did you do it? Why did you kill your wife?" Tommy asked with an angry expression on his face.

"Why? Because she had it coming. That whore had been a thorn in my side for some time. Always second questioning me, always peering over my shoulder, I was sick of it! The only good thing she did for me was clear out my bank account when I asked her to. Of course, I wouldn't have had to if Gran just backed off!" He growled back as he got on one knee.

"And what about Trent?" Tommy pressed, yearning for some answers from the real monster.

"Trent? Trent was nothing more than an annoyance and an opportunity to do human testing. In fact, I'm glad of what I did to him." He snarled.

"You were the one who made Trent's house look old and abandoned, didn't you?" Tommy interrogated. Lawrence laughed.

"Of course, I couldn't have people snooping around his place when he disappeared. Unfortunately, you were foolish enough to actually go there." He coughed. His voice was rough sounding, sore and hoarse.

"And the chimera?" Tommy finally asked. He began to laugh hysterically. Lawrence got up off the floor and when he turned to face them, his eyes were a bright color of yellow, practically glowing. The sudden change in his eye color made Tommy jump back. Lawrence took two steps towards them, but suddenly grabbed his stomach in pain. "Now you've done it!" Lawrence howled as he fell behind a desk and out of view. They couldn't see anything. The noises being made from behind the desk didn't sound good, either. They heard large ripping sounds, like fabric being torn, and the sound of bones popping and cracking back into place. This went on for a few seconds and then the noises stopped.

"Hey, Doc? You okay?" Tommy asked as he slowly drew his gun.

"Oh . . . I am better than okay. In fact, I feel much better." Lawrence responded, his voice sounding completely in-human. It was a deep voice, his normal human sounding tone laced into the deep one, combining the two.

"Lawrence, are you sure you're okay?" Riza asked as she drew her gun.

"Don't call me Lawrence Livingstone. That's the name of the weak and pitiful creature I used to be. No, don't call me that . . . " He paused. Tommy and Riza got closer to the desk without making a single sound. "Please . . . " There was another, longer, pause. For a while, there was nothing. Only Riza's heavy breathing could be heard. Then a giant green clawed hand, reached up, grabbed the top of the desk, and pushed the rest of the body into plain view.

"Call me Gregole!" He roared. Tommy couldn't believe his eyes. The beast was massive. It was seven feet tall, just like Tommy had said, and its muscles were even bigger than Armstrong's. Hell, he was over all bigger than Armstrong. It's skin was a green lizard like hide and it had a crown of horns coming out the top of its head, the largest coming out of his forehead, and he had a smaller horn coming out of his chin.

"You see! This is what I am underneath! A gorgeous creature of science, the next link in the evolutionary chain, a God amongst men!" He boasted with pride. Tommy and Riza were backing up as he began to get closer to them. "This, my good friend, will be the future of the world and my military regime! Think about it. An army of biologically enhanced soldiers, soldiers that don't require any weaponry or body armor, soldiers that will do orders without so much as a second thought. All under my command!" He maniacally envisioned out loud.

"You're insane, Livingstone!" Tommy spat back.

"I told you, I'm Gregole!" He roared, flipping over a desk in blind rage. At that moment, a soldier walked in through the door on the other side of the room.

"Is everything okay in he-" Lawrence ran up to him, clawing his throat out before he could finish speaking. A loud ringing began to blare loudly. He turned sharply, seeing that Riza had hit the fire alarm.

"Bitch!" He growled. Tommy whipped out his pistol and started firing, hitting the green beast in the head. Riza joined in, but the firing was a fruitless effort. Bullets just bounced off the thick green hide, like children throwing rocks at a tank. Lawrence just laughed. As Riza and Tommy reloaded, an idea sprung into Riza's head. She took aim and shot Lawrence in his ugly yellow eye. He screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding eye socket. His free hand swung violently, slashing anything in his path as he ran towards them. Without hesitation, Tommy and Riza bolted out through the door, Lawrence behind them. Lawrence veered off to the side, crashing through a wall and into the streets, where he began to destroy anything and everything that moved. Tommy and Riza made it out the front doors. Riza almost collapsed, huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath.

"Nice thinking, popping him in the eye. I bet he didn't see that coming. Pun intended." Tommy snickered, coughing roughly afterwords.

"What are we gonna do?" She wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

"Don't worry. I think you've proven that he's not as invincible as he'd like to think. I'm sure Mustang will have no problem roasting that . . . thing." Tommy responded reassuringly. At that second, two large military trucks pulled up and stopped in front of them. The first truck rolled down its window to show that Havoc was the driver.

"Need a lift?" He asked with a smirk, a cigarette wedged in his mouth. Tommy eagerly hopped in the passenger side. "Hawkeye, you're going to have to take the other truck, we're all filled up." Havoc went on to explain. Tommy looked at Riza with concern.

"Okay, you two stay safe." She responded.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Tommy asked. She nodded, closed the door of the truck and got in the other one behind them. Tommy's truck went down one street while Riza's truck went down a different street, disappearing into the city.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Havoc reassured him. Tommy looked over at him. "I've known Hawkeye for a long time. She's tougher than most men I know, so relax. Plus she's got a truck load of soldiers."

"Speaking of soldiers, I take it Mustang got that artillery?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, we told the Colonel what we found and he got permission from General Grumman to seal off the area. He didn't want to take any chances." Havoc relayed.

"Good thing too, I just had an encounter with our monster." Tommy remarked, still unable to believe what he saw.

"So it's true? Livingstone can transform?" Havoc asked.

"Yeah, he's calling himself Gregole too. Any clue what that's all about?" Tommy asked.

"That's what his project is called. I read the file and it said that Gregole was developed as a bio-weapon combatant, whatever the hell that means." Havoc explained.

"Bio-weapon combatant?" Tommy responded, confused.

"Yeah. Why?" Havoc asked.

"It's nothing. It's only a thought . . . I hope." Tommy silently muttered. Suddenly, Havoc slammed on the breaks as people were running across the street. Tommy stuck his head out the window.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" He screamed.

"There's something attacking South End St. and it's huge!" Said a man as he ran in one direction.

"South End St!" Tommy exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Havoc asked.

"Havoc, that's the street Riza was going down!" Tommy blurted out as he jumped out of the truck.

"Where the hell are you going?" Havoc shouted.

"Those guys are going to need my help a lot more than you guys!" Tommy responded, sprinting down the street.

"Cooper! Cooper, get back here! We're going that way anyway, you idiot! Argh! God dammit, don't get yourself killed!" Havoc yelled. Tommy ran hard and fast, darting down into a dark alley way, a heavy determination in his footsteps.

"I'm not letting this bastard hurt anymore people. This ends tonight!" Tommy growled to himself. He leaped in the air, screaming "Guyver!" and the powerful armor appeared, enclosing him within. And just like that, he was gone, running across rooftops.

* * *

Roy had just made it to the blockade at the end of South End St., where soldiers were lined up and taking their positions behind sand bags. The entire street had temporarily been evacuated, leaving homes empty, and deserted vehicles on the road.

"Do we have any visual confirmation on the target?" Roy sternly asked another soldier.

"We asked some of the people who saw it and well . . ." He froze up, at a loss for words.

"Well, what?" Roy snapped.

"Well . . . they said it's a giant green monster, Sir." He responded nervously.

"Dammit! Alright, listen up everyone! I want all of you armed and ready to go! When this thing gets here, I want it to look like hell was just unleashed. Understood?" Roy barked. Everyone replied with a "Sir, yes, Sir!" and commenced their operation. Roy saw that Havoc's truck had just pulled up. Roy ran up to it.

"Colonel." Havoc greeted as he got out of the truck, followed by a salute.

"At ease, Lieutenant." Roy responded. Roy watched as the soldiers piled out of the truck, his team included. Breda ran up to Havoc and handed him a rifle.

"You ready?" Breda asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Havoc responded as he loaded his rifle.

"Hold on a second, where the hell is Cooper?" Roy asked.

"You mean he's not here yet?" Havoc asked, sounding confused.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"He ran off before I was able to tell him the plan." Havoc explained. Suddenly a large explosion erupted down the street, causing the ground to rumble.

"Dammit, forget Cooper! Get into position!" Roy commanded.

"Hold it!" A voice said. Roy turned to see Ed and his brother.

"Brother, please, take it easy. You're not even supposed to be out of bed." Al pleaded.

"I'm fine! Besides, these guys need our help!" Ed spat back.

"Good to see your alright. Now listen, Fullmetal, you're going to be up front with me when this thing gets here. We're going to need your alchemy." Roy explained. Ed nodded. Another explosion went off, this time followed by a deep sinister laugh that echoed throughout the streets. Suddenly the ground started to thump repeatedly.

"What the hell is that?" Breda asked as he took aim.

"It kind of sounds like . . . footsteps." Havoc said.

"Really big footsteps." Al chimed in.

"Whatever it is, it's coming around the corner of the street." Ed told them all, pointing at a shadow that was moving closer and closer to the corner of the street. Roy put his gloves on and everyone else locked, loaded, and aimed. At the other end of the street, Riza's truck was steadily gaining speed, trying to get to the second blockade that was stationed at the corner of the street, ready to attack their target from behind. The driver of the truck pulled over and the troops in the back of the truck joined the blockade. They got their guns locked, loaded, and took aim. Everyone patiently waited as the footsteps got closer and closer. Every one was tight wound with fear. Rifles rattled in their wielders hands and brows trickled with sweat. The footsteps abruptly stopped. Suddenly, a large grunting noise was heard and a car was throne right into a building, bursting into flames. Then . . . they all saw him. The seven foot tall green behemoth with a large smile on his face and a missing eye. Everyone froze when they saw this thing, even Roy. It looked left and right, seeing both large groups of soldiers aim their rifles. He saw Mustang and chuckled.

"Well now, Colonel, what do you think? I'd say I did a damn good job with what little money Gran dumped on me." He asked casually. Roy couldn't believe it.

"Livingstone?" Roy gasped.

"Oh yeah, I probably should have mentioned that." Havoc mumbled nervously. Roy shot him an angry glare and then brought his eyes back to the green beast.

"No. Not anymore." Lawrence laughed. Roy couldn't take it any longer.

"Sorry, Lawrence, I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand. So to speak." Roy responded with a cocky grin as he slowly raised his hand. Ed couldn't help but think how cheesy that joke was. Lawrence just stood there as Roy snapped his fingers loud and clear. But to his amazement, nothing happened. He tried two more times and still nothing happened, not even a spark. Lawrence just laughed.

"Wonderful little thing, isn't it? I am afraid your alchemy is useless around me, Mustang." Lawrence boasted.

"What?" Roy barked.

"He's right!" Ed cried in shock as he repeatedly clapped his hands together and placed them on his automail arm, failing to turn it into a blade, or anything for that matter.

"Alright, that's it! Open fire!" Roy fiercely commanded. And as soon as he said those two little words, the biggest barrage of bullets you could ever imagine, went flying at Lawrence, round after round going off, causing a thick cloud of smoke to form around Lawrence.

"Okay, that's enough, hold your fire!" Roy commanded. Everyone stopped firing. The smoke was still thick in the air, making it nearly impossible to make out anything. But soon, everyone could see that all that ammunition didn't do a thing.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Ed remarked in pure amazement. "All of that and it didn't even leave a mark?"

"I am the perfect weapon Mustang; nothing can harm me, stop me or kill me!" Lawrence cheered, like a true villain that was high on his own narcissism. He then turned quickly, picked up a large pickup truck, and threw it at the soldiers behind him, wiping most of them out. The ones that were lucky enough to survive the car soon met their match as Lawrence crushed skulls in his hands, threw men into the air, and gored some with his horn. When he was finished turning Amestris' finest into mush, he turned around and stared at the other group of soldiers with a murder hungry glee in his eye.

"Mustang, what do we do? If he comes at us we're not going to be able to stop him." Ed fearfully pointed out.

"Yeah, Colonel, I mean look at that thing. Nothing short of a tank could stop that." Breda pointed out.

"Can we get one down here?" Havoc asked.

"This isn't exactly the best time for a joke!" Breda retorted.

"I wasn't joking." Havoc replied in a serious tone as he reloaded his rifle.

"Let me think! Let me think!" Roy angrily barked. For once in his life he had no idea what to do or what was going to happen. Lawrence was getting ready to charge them, and Roy had no way of stopping him.

"Ready or not, here I co-" He stopped short as thirteen rounds hit his back. He turned around to see that Riza was standing there. She froze up as he looked into her eyes. She tried to reload, but dropped her clip.

"There you are, you little bitch! I have a bone to pick with you!" He growled angrily. Riza picked her clip up and slid it in her gun. She took aim, only to have Gregole smack it out of her hand, causing her to fall to the ground. He slowly walked towards her, cracking his knuckles and grinning deeply.

"Colonel, we can't just stand here, we have to do something! That thing's going to kill her!" Havoc angrily pleaded.

"What do you want me to do? Running in there would be suicide!" Roy snapped at him.

"So we're just going to stand here and watch her die!" Havoc spat back. Roy couldn't think straight. Lawrence was right in front of Riza by now and there was nothing he could think of to try and stop him. He grabbed Riza by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy squeezing the life out of your puny little body." Lawrence hissed. Riza punched Lawrence's hand again and again, but it only served to make Lawrence laugh. His grip around her neck started to get tighter and tighter. Riza closed her eyes as her world started to blur. She was then suddenly dropped. She opened her eyes, coughing roughly. It took her a minute to get her vision straightened, but when she did, she saw Lawrence slowly backing up, his eye wide with what looked like fear. Roy and the other troops had frozen from a mix of fright and bewilderment. Every one of them were wide eyed, just like Lawrence. She wondered, just what could possibly stop this creature and the military dead in their tracks? That is, until she saw the shadow of a figure slowly approaching her. She slowly turned her head and there he was. The Dark Hero. The Guyver. Everyone watched as he stepped forward slowly. A silence fell around him as he approached.

"I knew it was only a matter of time until they sent someone after me. Take one more step and I'll slash her throat!" Lawrence threatened. He didn't stop moving. Lawrence roared in anger and swung his claws at Riza. Tommy darted in front of her and caught Lawrence's hand at the wrist, holding him back with little to no effort. Lawrence swung his other clawed hand at Riza's defender, and he caught that one too. Tommy released Lawrence's hands, delivering a kick to his chest at the same time. It launched him back a few feet and he landed on the ground, breaking the concrete beneath him. Tommy swooped up Riza, jumped past Lawrence, and landed in front of Roy and the blockade. He then gently set her down. She pulled away from her savior, staring at him with her dark amber eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"Make sure she's okay." He told them as he turned to face Lawrence, who was now standing, glaring at his new enemy with his one eye.

"W-what are you gonna do?" Asked Havoc. He didn't answer. Tommy slowly walked up to Lawrence, stopping right in front of him, looking up at the terrifying behemoth.

"You want to fight?" Lawrence questioned, as if the very idea were some kind of sick joke. Tommy didn't say anything. He just stared at him. "You're strong, I'll give you that. But if you honestly think you can take me on you are-" Out of nowhere, Tommy swung his leg straight up in the air with break neck speeds and kicked Lawrence right in the face. The force of the strike sent him flying back, slamming him right into a large truck. Some gasped in amazement, while others turned to the man beside them and spoke in whispers, asking that man if what they had seen had actually happened. Surely this little thing couldn't possibly take down this monster, some wondered. They all watched Lawrence pull himself out of the car wreckage, coughing up blood. He could feel his ribs had been broken and were slowly starting to heal.

"How? How is this possible? He can't be stronger than me!" Lawrence questioned. He started to throw punches at Tommy in rage. As fast as Lawrence was, Tommy was faster, swaying left and right, dodging every one of his throws. Tommy caught one of the punches and flipped Lawrence over onto his back. He held Lawrence's arm up, protracted the blue blade from his forearm, and sliced through Lawrence's limb, severing it at the elbow. He shrieked in pain as Tommy threw his arm off to the side, blood spraying out of his stump. Lawrence got on his feet and jumped back. He grabbed a small car by the front bumper and threw it at Tommy. He managed to catch it and gently set it down. When he turned back to face Lawrence, he was gone.

"Behind you!" Ed screamed. Tommy turned back and saw Lawrence impressively scaling up a wall with his remaining arm. He then leaped down, intent on dropping his elbow on top of his attacker. Tommy dove back, but much to his surprise, Lawrence had hoped for this. He suddenly landed on his feet and grabbed one of Tommy's legs. He proceeded to slam Tommy into the hard concrete like a savage bashing his club into the skull of his enemy, over and over again. He then threw Tommy into a small store, showering Tommy in glass.

"Son of a bitch. He's better than I thought. I gotta finish this fast, before he destroys this street." Tommy muttered as he picked himself up off the ground. When he turned to face Lawrence, he instead saw a large milk truck soaring through the air. It crashed into him and burst into flames. Lawrence laughed hard.

"You were an amusing distraction, my friend, but it seems your time is up." Lawrence boasted proudly. The flames spewed out from the small store, the truck slowly burning. Suddenly, the back doors of the milk truck flew off, and Tommy slowly exited. Lawrence roared like an angry grizzly, ran up and swung at his opponent with his only arm, but missed, giving Tommy his chance. He barraged Lawrence with a hailstorm of fists to the stomach and face. Lawrence fell to his knees, trying to recover his breath.

"This isn't possible! Nothing can kill me! I'm invincible!" Lawrence screamed. Tommy then began to speak to him.

"I don't want to kill you. No . . . you don't deserve to be let off that quickly." Tommy bitterly growled. Lawrence looked up at him. His bright red eyes glowed violently, as if they were feeding off his rage. "Just revert back to your original form and-"

"Never!" Lawrence screamed as he lunged forward, his massive horn aimed for Tommy's chest. There was a quick flash and Lawrence stopped. A thin red line slowly appeared, going straight across the middle of his body. He then, in a glorious fountain of blood, split in half at the waist.

"I didn't want to kill you. But I knew I would. Because even monsters don't want to die." Tommy quietly admitted to himself. He then looked at the soldiers who had witnessed this horror. All of them had the same look on their faces. A look of terror and disgust. They all feared him. He didn't blame them. They didn't see the man. That honor belonged to Ed and Al. But the others, they saw the monster that was in front of them, they saw the Guyver. Tommy jumped up and landed on a nearby roof, and proceeded to vanish into the night sky. Lawrence's body dissolved into a liquid bubbling bile and quickly evaporated, leaving nothing behind.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Breda asked. Mustang and his crew, Tommy included, were back at the office, going over what had just transpired.

"Did you see those two go at it? It was like something out of an old monster movie! What were they?" Fuery asked.

"Well the big green guy was Livingstone, we know that." Havoc replied, a half finished cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

"Yeah, but what about the other one?" Fuery asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Havoc mumbled as he crushed his cigarette into an ashtray, blowing smoke out his nose.

"Well you said it yourself that Lawrence was creating bio-weapons. Could it be possible that that thing was one of them?" Falman hypothesized.

"We checked all of the Docs files and he hasn't created anything remotely close to what we all saw." Havoc informed Falman.

"That doesn't surprise me." Tommy spoke up. "Whatever this thing was, it clearly had no relation to Livingstone. Otherwise, we wouldn't be standing here. But . . ." Tommy paused, his thoughts racing through his mind.

"But what?" Breda asked.

"A couple things are bothering me. Livingstone pointed out that he had duplicated his formula. And yet we still haven't been able to find either the formula or the other serums. Another thing is that Lawrence was here all day, which means he couldn't have let those chimera loose." Tommy explained.

"A partner? That seems unlikely, Livingstone worked alone. Never had a partner even when he worked with his old employers." Roy pointed out.

"Well somebody let them out. Partner or not, we should keep our eyes open, just in case." Tommy suggested. "And lastly, and the thing that bother's me the most . . . all that fire power didn't even leave a scratch on Lawrence. Just think of how powerful the other guy is." Tommy grimly pointed out.

" . . . That's a pretty scary thought." Havoc admitted.

"But he does bring up a good point." Roy agreed. Tommy looked at Riza. She very quietly sat at her desk with a tired look on her face. She looked pale and had a large bruise around her neck. She hadn't said much in last hour or so.

"Roy, I think it's best that everyone gets the rest of the night off." Tommy suggested, his eyes not leaving Riza.

"That's probably a good idea. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Your all dismissed." And as soon as Roy said those words, everyone rushed out of the room. Tommy watched as Riza slowly left the room. He was scared for her. He knew that she was one of the strong ones. But even so, she was still human. He knew she was the one that had been affected the most. He said goodnight to Roy and started walking down the hallway, heading for his room. He managed to catch up the rest of the guys.

"Hey, Coop, we're heading for the pub. You wanna join us?" Havoc offered. Tommy looked at him for a moment. Then he chuckled.

"Maybe next time." Tommy tiredly turned down the offer. Havoc shrugged his shoulders and they went on their merry way. Then Ed and Al found him.

"You did a pretty good job back there. He could have hurt a lot of people." Ed congratulated. Tommy didn't say anything.

"Something wrong?" Al asked.

" . . . I lied to them." Tommy mumbled.

"What?" Ed asked.

"I lied to them. Livingstone's missing formula and serums is a concern. But it's not what's really bothering me. What is bothering me is that according to Livingstone's files, Gregole was developed as a bio-weapon combatant." Tommy explained as he thought back to what Havoc had said.

"What's that mean?" Al asked.

"It means that he was created to fight other bio-weapons." Ed explained. Tommy nodded in agreement.

"But that makes no sense. Gregole was the only bio-weapon Lawrence made. And those chimera he created all died." Ed pointed out.

"That we know of." Tommy chimed in.

"You think there could be more of them?" Al asked. He nodded again.

"This brings me to the second thing that bothers me. Actually . . . it downright scares the shit out of me. I heard from some of the other troops that Roy couldn't preform alchemy. Is this true?" Tommy asked.

"Oh yeah, Al and Mustang couldn't use alchemy. I couldn't use it either. It was like all we were doing was clapping our hands like a bunch of idiots." Ed described.

"I was afraid of that. Ed, you do realize that this isn't the first time that this has happened, right?" Tommy asked, turning to face the young boy.

"It's happened before?" Al asked.

"Ask Ed. You do remember, don't you?" Tommy slowly asked. Ed thought for a moment. Then it hit him. Like a painful prick of the finger, it hit him.

"Yeah . . . I remember." Ed stammered through a clenched jaw.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Al asked.

"You weren't there to see what happened. Back in Lior, you weren't there to see that my alchemy didn't work." Ed slowly revealed.

"What? Why didn't it work. Wait a minute, Tommy, what are you trying to say?" Al asked, his voice shaky and fright filled.

"I'm saying that Aptom may have been the same thing that Livingstone was. A Zoanoid."

* * *

Meanwhile else where

* * *

"So what's the word on our armored friend?" He asked.

"He didn't say much about it, just that we need to find him and bring him in." The woman said in a seductive, almost hushed tone.

"I wonder what's so important about him." The man pondered.

"Honestly? I think he's scared of him." She admitted.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Just the tone of voice he used. Sounded like fear." She pointed out.

"Oh, please, fear? He, afraid of that weak little freak?" The man laughed.

"Maybe he's not so weak. Maybe he's even stronger than he is." She proposed, her voice making it sound like the very idea amused her.

"There's a scary thought. Anyway, I'm bored of talking about that armored killing machine. I heard an interesting story today." He brought up, ditching the old subject.

"Oh?" The woman cooed, sounding very intrigued.

"It seems the Fullmetal Pipsqueak's assessment is due tomorrow. I was thinking about stopping by, see how much his skills have increased." He revealed.

"That's a good idea. I can't wait to hear how it goes." The woman replied, dismissing the man. He nodded and turned to leave. But then she spoke up suddenly, stopping him.

"Oh and before I forget, we'll be meeting someone later this week, so don't be late." She told him.

"Whatever you say . . . Lust." He replied, grinning deeply.


	8. Chapter 8: Vamore

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 8: Vamore**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Guyver or Fullmetal Alchemist**

**AN: Please Review. That is all. Thank you. :)**

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in Italics it means it's a flash back. _Just thought I'd clear that up.

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 8

Vamore

Tommy stood by the window, his eyes heavy and tired. He looked out towards the night sky, the night's events still fresh in his mind. His eyes drifted down to the city, and he watched as large fire trucks zoomed by, racing to put out the fires that Lawrence Livingstone had caused. Ed and Al watched Tommy from the safety of the small couch that resided in the middle of the room. The two brothers had been staying in a hotel while they were in East City. Tommy walked them back to their room to continue their . . . intriguing conversation.

"So let me get this straight," Ed began, breaking the silence. "You think that Aptom was a renegade Zoanoid created by Livingstone? And that Livingstone was being paid by Basque Gran to create something stronger, that would put an end to the problem, but also benefit Gran?"

"That's right, Ed. But Livingstone screwed him over." Tommy replied in a grim and tired tone, not once looking away from the window.

"That's a pretty bold assumption, Cooper." Ed responded, not sure if Tommy was just saying that because he thought it to be true, or if he was just looking to pin the blame on someone.

"I know Gran better than you do. I know what he's capable of." He explained. It was as though Basque Gran's very name left a bitter taste in Tommy's mouth. Al could see this.

". . . You don't like the Brigadier General, do you, Tommy?" Al finally asked.

"There's a difference between disliking a person and hating them, Al. A very big difference." Tommy coldly replied.

"Why?" Al asked. Tommy pulled himself away from the window to face Al.

"Why what?" He asked.

"Why do you hate him?" Al clarified.

"It's a long story, Al. One that I wish had never been written." Tommy responded with a sad and angry face. Al wanted to know more, but ceased with the questions. It was late and he could see that Tommy was tired. "Anyway, isn't it about time you guys went off to bed?" Tommy asked in a brighter tone than his original.

"You know you're not the boss of us, right?" Ed laughed lightheartedly.

"That's true, but I heard your annual re-certification exam is tomorrow. And the last thing you want is to fall asleep during your exam." Tommy said as he walked towards the door. Ed grumbled something under his breath, but Tommy couldn't make it out. It sounded like he said something about not being a kid.

"Good night you guys." Tommy said with a wave.

"Good night, Tommy." Al replied. Tommy closed the door and instantly his face lost all happiness. A demon slipped through the maw of Hell tonight, or at least that's how it felt to Tommy. A lot of men died and even more were wounded, a fact that stung Tommy deeply. But no matter how many were hurt, and no matter how bad the sting was, only one was on Tommy's mind. One that he almost lost. He walked down the empty streets, fire truck sirens still blaring. After the longest hour he ever experienced, he made it to his dorm room. He opened the door. The lights were off. He entered and closed the door behind him, bathing him in darkness, his eyes slowly adjusting. He tiredly stumbled to his bedroom, kicked his boots off, threw off his shirt, and fell in his bed. Half his face was buried in his pillow as he stared at the empty wall of his room. He closed his eyes.

" . . . Riza." He mumbled. And within minutes he was fast asleep. Riza, on the other hand, couldn't keep her eyes closed for more than a second. Every time she tried, Gregole's twisted and warped face was waiting for her. She sat in the middle of her bed with her legs pulled close to her chest, her chin resting on her knees. Hayate, her small black and white Shiba Inu puppy, sat at the end of the bed, just staring at Riza with a sad puppy dog look that all small puppies seemed to be born with.

"It's okay boy. Momma's just tired." She mumbled to Hayate. Of course she was lying, she just didn't want to admit it, not even to her own dog. Riza got up from her bed and sluggishly walked towards the bathroom. She stared into the mirror and didn't like what she saw. Her skin was rather pale, borderline ghost like. She had heavy dark bags underneath her eyes that seemed to make her skin appear even whiter. She rubbed her eyes in an effort to stay awake. It did little to help. Her eye lids felt like they were being weighted down by cinder-blocks, and she was trying her hardest to keep them from closing. She thought about making herself something to drink, to keep her mind busy and distracted. But she finally caved in and jumped into bed. She pulled the covers over herself slowly and rested her head on her pillow. For awhile, she looked at the ceiling. Then she tossed over on her side and stared at the empty wall in her room. She flipped over again, on her other side, and looked out the window that let the lights of the city shine through.

Riza lived in a three story upscale apartment building on the top floor, in a medium one bedroom apartment. It was a nice place, kind of average for upscale. There were some pictures hanging on the walls, a small book shelf, and the walls were solid white, black curtains concealing her windows. Except for the one in her room. She liked the nighttime view she had. That was about it as far as decorating goes. In her living room she had one long couch, clad in brown leather, a small coffee table and the aforementioned bookshelf. In her bathroom she had one of those new glass showers with the sliding door. Her kitchen was small, with a dinner table that almost didn't fit. Almost everything in her home was made for one. Almost everything. The one thing that Riza despised the most about her home, at the moment, was the very bed she slept in. Her bed was queen sized. She found that she tossed and turned quite a bit in her sleep, and the bigger mattress aloud her to do that. But right now, laying in it made her feel so strange. It made her feel small. It made her feel alone. She grabbed the second pillow beside her head and cradled it in her arms, as though it were a person.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of something, anything, to get her mind away from what had happened only a few hours ago. And she did. Something popped into her head that left her feeling at peace. She thought of Tommy and how he made her feel. She thought of the few quiet moments they shared. She wished she could go back to those moments. But the thoughts didn't last. Soon her mind traced back to the same scene replaying itself over and over again. Riza shot up from her bed, screaming her lungs out. She frantically looked around to find she was still at home and in bed. Not in the streets with his giant clawed hand wrapped around her throat. She rubbed her eyes and looked to see what time it was, breathing heavily. Only half an hour had gone by and she felt the same as she did before. She drove her face hard into her pillow cried herself to sleep, over and over again.

* * *

A bright morning greeted everyone, as all of Eastern Headquarters was buzzing with news and stories of last night and of the event that was to take place later on that day. Tommy somberly walked down the hall, stopping here and there to listen in on people that were talking about him. Or rather, the armored vigilante from last night. Some were thankful that he showed up when he did, believing that he saved the lives of many. Others thought he was a menace that needed to be dealt with. It wasn't anything new to him. Many thought he was a threat or a terror that needed to learn his place. But then again, those people were either thugs and crooks, or soldiers and generals who feared that he was going to put them out of a job. He paid little to no attention to those men and women. When Tommy opened the doors to the office, everyone was just as excited as the rest of the building, maybe even more so.

"Alright here's a good one. Who would win in a fight, Roy or the guy in the armored suit?" Breda asked as Tommy walked in. He noticed that Roy wasn't in the room, so the guys were slacking off a bit.

"Mustang of course." Havoc replied quickly, seeming pretty sure of himself.

"You think?" Breda questioned.

"Well sure. I'll admit that our vigilante last night pulled off some pretty impressive moves, but what that guy doesn't have is range." Havoc explained, still pretty sure of himself.

"Range?" Breda asked, scratching his head.

"Yup. You see, all he has are those fancy punches and kicks." Havoc pointed out.

"Don't forget the swords that came out his arms." Fuery mentioned.

"Oh right, those things too. Now sure, he's strong and fast, but honestly, all that means nothing when Mustang can just snap his fingers and blow him away, reducing him to nothing more than ash." Havoc reasoned with a high confidence.

"I don't know man." Breda replied doubtfully.

"What do you think, Coop?" Havoc asked eagerly as he turned to Tommy. Tommy chuckled lightly. He had to admit, when people actually had good things to say about him, it made him feel better about himself.

"Personally?" Tommy asked, pretending like he wasn't interested.

"Yeah, I'm interested on hearing what you have to say about this." Havoc said.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, and say the vigilante." Tommy replied.

"Really?" Havoc responded, astonished.

"Think about it. We have no idea what this guy is capable of. For all we know, he could probably grow thirty feet tall and fly." Tommy pointed out.

"That's what Kain said." Breda brought up.

"Well it's true." Fuery said quietly. Tommy chuckled.

"Hey, I almost forgot to ask you, Coop. Where were you when everything was going down? We looked all over the place for you." Havoc asked.

"Me? I got held back by the local authorities. They didn't believe me when I said that I was a soldier." He lied.

"You should have been wearing your uniform." Falman said.

"I know I've asked before, but you gotta tell us. Why don't you wear a uniform?" Breda pressed.

"Yeah, I've been curious about that myself." Fuery chimed in, adjusting his glasses.

"Personal reasons. Shouldn't you be getting back to work?" Tommy said quickly in an attempt to change subject. He set his stuff down and saw that his desk had a mountain of paperwork on it. He sighed miserably and sat himself down. For a while the only noises that were heard were the scratching of pencils and the squeaks of chairs, with the occasional chit chat between the boys. That changed when Roy walked in.

"Good morning everyone!" Roy roared in an overly cheery tone, a great big goofy smile on his lips.

"Well you're in a good mood today." Havoc sarcastically pointed out.

"Of course I am, Lt. Havoc, why wouldn't I be? For you see, today is the day that little runt gets what he's been asking for!" He replied in a manic fashion.

"Oh yeah, you have a fight with Ed later this afternoon. I almost forgot." Havoc replied, still sounding sarcastic.

"Yes, and when everyone sees just how awesome I am no one will doubt the power of The Flame Alchemist!" Roy cheered in pride, following it with a somewhat maniacal and manic laugh.

"A fight? I thought he had an exam today." Tommy admitted.

"Mr. Elric chose to show off his talents in the form of a duel between him and the Colonel here." Falman explained in a formal manner.

"Does this guy ever fucking relax and smile?" Tommy asked, pointing at Falman. Everyone, but Falman, got a good chuckle out of that.

"Believe it or not he does have his moments." Breda chuckled. Roy sat down behind his desk and instantly noticed something was askew. He looked around the office, then looked at the clock, and then at everyone in the office. The smile on his face was gone.

"Something's missing." He finally said in a serious manner.

"What do you mean?" Havoc asked.

"I mean something is missing. Something's out of place." He further explained. Tommy looked around the office himself and got the same feeling as Roy. The only difference was that Tommy knew what was missing.

"Hawkeye." Tommy blurted out.

"What?" Roy asked.

"Hawkeye's not here." Tommy explained.

"Hey, yeah, Hawkeye isn't here." Havoc chimed in agreement.

"That's just weird. Hawkeye's never late." Breda pointed out.

"And when she is going to be late, she usually calls us to tell us so." Havoc further explained.

"She does go to the firing range every morning before coming here. Maybe she's still down there." Falman guessed.

"But she only goes there for an hour." Roy pointed out. Tommy got up suddenly, put his jacket on and headed out the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Roy asked.

"Where do you think?" Tommy replied.

* * *

Tommy got to the doors of the indoor firing range and walked in. He spotted Riza standing at one of the firing booths, all by herself. With the exception of the two of them, the firing range resembled a high polished military ghost town. He headed towards her, smiling warmly, hoping to surprise her, but slowly came to a stop, his smile fading. He was a few feet away from her, but he could still see the trail of tears running down her cheeks. He looked down at her feet to see three empty pistol magazines in a small pile.

"Riza?" Tommy said quietly. Riza jumped a little when she heard his voice.

"Oh, Tommy, it's just you." She mumbled as she wiped away her tears. "What are you doing down here?" She asked as if nothing had happened.

"I came here to find you. Are you okay?" He asked with sincere concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She asked, avoiding the obvious.

"You're crying." Tommy pointed out.

"Crying? No I just . . . uh . . . I just had something in my eye." She stammered.

"Something in your eye? Riza, no offense, but that's the lamest excuse anyone can pull. Not to mention the oldest." Tommy responded doubtfully.

"What do you mean?" She asked, sounding offended.

"You were crying. Why?" He asked softly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She responded, starting to sound a little angry.

"I think you do." Tommy replied. Riza turned around and grabbed her bag off the coat rack and started for the door. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"To the office, I have some paperwork to do." She responded, her tone short and to the point.

"No you don't. Your desk doesn't have anything on it." He pointed out.

"Lt. Cooper, please, just leave me alone." She pleaded angrily. She had made it to the door when Tommy caught up to her.

"Hey, hold on a second." Tommy pleaded. He softly placed a hand on her shoulder. The touch sent a shiver down Riza's spine. All she could picture was Livingstone grabbing onto her arm the way he had done last night, before he transformed.

"Don't touch me, you bastard!" Riza screamed. She spun around and punched Tommy square in the jaw, sending him stumbling back.

"Ouch! Riza, what the hell was-" Tommy stopped. Riza's eyes were swelling with tears. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "Riza?" Tommy mumbled.

"Oh God. I am so sorry." She whimpered.

"No it's okay; I should have listened to you." He replied, trying to aim the blame on him.

"No it's my fault; you were just trying to help and I . . ." She froze up.

"Riza, it's alright." Tommy said in a soothing tone.

"Stop saying that!" She snapped at him.

"Alright, alright, there's no need to yell, I was just trying to help." He replied.

"I don't need your help. Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do." She huffed, wiping her new tears away. She left the firing range, leaving Tommy standing there with a heavily worried look on his face and a hurt jaw. He knew why she was acting this way. What he didn't know was why it seemed so familiar to him. It was like he had just gotten the worst case of déjà vu. He rushed back to the office, but paused, his hand on the door handle. He hoped that Riza wasn't in there with everyone else. He opened the door and saw that it was just Ed talking to Mustang. Everyone else seemed to be off on errands.

"Hey, there you are. What's up?" Roy asked casually. Tommy figured that Riza didn't say anything or hadn't even returned.

"Not much, you?" Tommy asked, seeming distracted.

"Edward and I were just going over the terms of our little deal we made for today's activities." Roy explained.

"Uh . . . cool. Listen, Ed, could you leave me and the Colonel here alone for a minute or two? I have to discuss a personal matter with him." Tommy replied.

"Uh, sure thing." Ed responded, somewhat confused. As he left Roy's office, he wondered what Tommy had to say to the Colonel that couldn't be said in front of him. Tommy made sure that Ed left before talking to Mustang.

"What's on your mind?" Roy asked as he relaxed in his comfy looking office chair.

"It's Hawkeye . . ." Tommy paused, unsure of how to proceed.

"Did you find her?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, I found her. And I'm . . . worried about her." Tommy awkwardly admitted. Roy's face went from relaxed to very intrigued in almost no time at all. Tommy was preoccupied with a plaque on Roy's wall, so he didn't see the look on Roy's face. When Roy didn't say anything, Tommy looked to meet eye to eye with him. He saw the look on his face.

"What?" Tommy asked, confused by his response.

"You're worried about Hawkeye? Why?" He asked, his curiosity at it's highest peek.

"I think there's something wrong with her. I think that she's on the edge of a nervous breakdown. She nearly took my head off just a few moments ago." Tommy revealed casually.

"She hit you?" Roy asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, the girls got a mean right hook." Tommy mumbled, rubbing his jaw.

"That doesn't sound like her. Normally she's pretty quiet, unless one of us is acting like a jack-ass. And even then, she never hit any of us. You didn't do anything to make her strike you, did you?" Roy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, but I think I have an idea why she did it." Tommy calmly replied.

"And that would be?"

"Last night." Tommy answered quickly.

"You mean her encounter with Livingstone? Tommy, I think you should give Hawkeye a little more credit. After all, she is one of the best I have here." Roy pointed out, seeming proud.

"Roy everyone has limits, even the best. I'm walking proof of that." Tommy retorted. Suddenly, it struck Tommy, like someone had just jammed their red hot cigarette into his arm. That odd feeling of déjà vu he had. He now understood. Roy saw the look of realization on his face and it scared him.

"Tommy, what is it?" Roy asked concerned. Tommy's face morphed into an angry and bitter one.

"Fuck! How could I be stupid as to forget something like that! Oh my God, why didn't I see it before?" He shouted in anger.

"See what before? What are you talking about?" Roy asked, thoroughly confused.

"Roy, I don't know how well you know this woman, but she's acting just like I did . . . weeks before I tried to end my own life."

* * *

_"Put the gun down!" A soldier cried out. Tommy stood there in his room, pointing a fully loaded hand gun to his head, tears swelling up in his eyes. Soldiers, some he knew very well and some he didn't even know the names of, huddled around his doorway. _

_"God dammit, somebody get Zack!" Another soldier shouted. Zack was one of Tommy's best friends when he had first joined The S.M.T.R.S. Tommy was assigned to be a part of Zack's Hyper Elite Team. All of them got along really well with Tommy. They saw him as the kid brother that none of them ever had. And now they were watching him put a gun to his head._

_"Tommy! Put the fucking gun down!" Zack commanded as he ran into Tommy's room._

_"Fuck you man! Fuck you!" Tommy cried._

_"Tommy, think about what you're doing." Zack pleaded._

_"I am!" He shouted back._

_"No you're not! Now I said put the damn gun down." Zack growled._

_"No!" Tommy replied, still shouting. Zack sighed roughly._

_"We can talk about this." Zack replied calmly as he slowly got closer to Tommy._

_"Stay away or so help me God I will do it!" Tommy shouted as he jerked the gun closer to his head. Zack stopped in his tracks._

_"Come on, Tom. Tell me what's wrong. Talk to me." Zack pleaded in a softer tone._

_"What's wrong? I've been telling you what's wrong for over a year now! I can't sleep, I can't eat, and I can't keep my fucking eyes open!" Tommy angrily exploded, tears trickling down his face. _

_"And we've been trying to help you." Zack pointed out, taking a small step forward that went unnoticed._

_"Well I hate to break it to you, Zack, but guess what, it's done nothing! Every time I close my eyes they're just waiting there for me! They just won't leave me alone! This is the only way out! They said so!" He cried._

_"No it's not, not this way! Listen to yourself. When you came here they said that you were the best they had seen in years." Zack reminded him._

_" . . . S-So?" He asked, in a calmer tone._

_"So what do you think they're going to say when they ask about you?" Zack asked._

_"I . . . I don't know!" Tommy snapped._

_"They're going to say, Thomas Cooper, one of the best we had until he gave in and plastered his brains all over the god damn wall!" Zack shot back. Tommy didn't say anything. "You don't want to be remembered like that. I know you don't. Now please, put the gun down." Zack begged. Tommy stared into Zack's eyes for a long time. There was a long dead silence. "Tommy?" Zack said._

_" . . . I . . . I'm sorry, Zack." Tommy muttered. He pulled the hammer back and pulled the trigger. But no bullet came out. Only the noise of the hammer hitting nothing over and over again. Tommy pulled the gun away from his head, looking at it with shock._

_"It jammed." Muttered one soldier. Tommy clenched his jaw tight and his grip on the gun even tighter. He then threw the pistol at the floor, dropping to his knees as he did so. A blood curdling cry of anguish and sorrow bellowed from Tommy's throat. It took two men to drag him to the infirmary. He spent two weeks there._

* * *

Roy sat there in his comfy chair, looking at Tommy in disbelief.

"You can't be serious?" Roy asked.

"I'm not saying she's just going to turn around and blow her own head off today. I'm just saying that she's acting like the thought's passed through her head at least once." Tommy clarified.

"Tommy, she and a lot of other men and women were in the thick of the Ishvalan war, it's passed through all of our heads, but she never went through with it. Some did, but not her. Plus . . . it's Hawkeye. She's the last person who would try and do something like that." Roy explained, sure of his answer.

"Yeah, well if we don't do something soon you're going to be looking for a new bodyguard and I really . . . really don't want that to happen." Tommy pressed, a worried look on his face. Roy saw an odd look in Tommy's eyes. It was a look he hadn't seen in years and he was kind of glad to see it, even if it did show up at an odd time.

"Tommy, this may be a bit out of place, bu do you have . . . feelings for Lt. Hawkeye?" Roy asked casually. Tommy's face turned a bright red and he didn't say anything. "Well do you? I won't say anything if you do. Hell, a good portion of the men here have had the odd crush on her." Roy explained casually.

"Roy, I think we have bigger issues to deal with right now." He said, trying to change the subject. At that moment, Riza walked into the room.

"Colonel, you . . ." She paused when she saw Tommy. Tommy stared at Riza for a moment and so did Roy. Riza quickly broke eye contact with Tommy. She didn't want to look at him. Not after what she had just done.

"Tommy, we'll talk about this later. Lt. Hawkeye, you were saying?" Roy asked, tearing Riza away from her thoughts.

"You have company, Colonel." She said quickly. A bunch of soldiers suddenly ran in, Maes Hughes and Alex L. Armstrong being two of them. They all positioned themselves against the wall in a line, and gave a solute. And, of all the soldiers in Amestris to walk into that office that day, Basque Gran, the Iron Blood Alchemist himself, walked in like he owned the place. Gran saw Tommy immediately and he looked pissed. Not that you could tell, considering he always looked pissed.

"Cooper." He acknowledged with spite.

"Gran." Tommy responded with anger.

"Taking orders from Mustang now, are you?" He asked, saying it as though it were some kind of an insult.

"As a matter of fact, I am. It seems someone up top finally figured out that I work better with friends, rather than murderous power hungry alchemists. Imagine that." Tommy quipped with a smart little smile.

"Still an arrogant little bastard, I see." Gran shot back, grinning.

"Yup, that's me. Say, how's your arm doing?" Tommy asked with his own smirk.

"Cooper, that's enough!" Mustang snapped. "Sir, I'm sorry for Lt. Cooper's attitude, he's been having some trouble adjust-"

"Can it Mustang!" Gran barked sharply. "I'm here to talk to you anyway. Just what the hell do you think you were doing?" He asked.

"I'm afraid you will have to be a little bit clearer on what exactly you're talking about, Sir." Roy told him.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. I'm talking about my Gregole. What were you thinking?" Gran demanded to know.

"Did he just say his Gregole?" Tommy asked as he raised an eyebrow. Roy shot him a glare. He then looked back at Gran.

"Sir, we took all the necessary precautions to try and eliminate the problem." Roy explained calmly.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. Why were you trying to eliminate it when you should have been trying to protect it? Were you not informed by General Hakuro?" He asked angrily.

"Protect it!" Tommy hollered. "Did your big ass mustache block your view of the destruction that thing caused or are you really that twisted!" Tommy snapped back.

"Lt. Cooper, as far as you're concerned, that man's body belonged to the State Military and it's destruction is to be considered a crime against the nation, punishable by death." Gran responded quickly.

"What?" Tommy exclaimed in extreme confusion.

"I'm afraid I'm to blame on this one." Interjected a kind old voice from behind Gran. Gran moved to the side, revealing that the Fuhrer himself was behind him. Fuhrer King Bradley was a kind looking man, seeming to always be in a chipper mood. His face was aged well, about forty or so years, but despite his age his hair, black and always slicked back and looking proper, didn't have a single gray hair. His charming smile was accompanied with a dashing thick black mustache. An eye patch covered his left eye. And always at his side was a long rapier with an elegant hilt. Tommy didn't care much for the man.

"Fuhrer Bradely, Sir!" Roy saluted. Riza followed Roy with a salute. Tommy didn't.

"Now, now, Mustang no need for that. Now like I was saying before, I'm afraid this little goof up was my mistake." Bradley chuckled.

"Goof up?" Tommy asked. That was hardly the right term for describing what had happened.

"Yes, you see, it started about five years ago. The Brigadier General here had requested permission to re-open the chimera section of our weapons division after it had been closed down for some reason or another. At the time I didn't see any harm in it, so I allowed him. Four years later a scientist, with extraordinary potential, came knocking on our doorsteps." He revealed.

"Livingstone?" Tommy asked.

"That's right. He had just left a rather powerful pharmaceutical company for personal reasons and was looking for work." Bradley went on to explain. "It didn't take long to see how promising he was. He created powerful and interesting chimera. Ones that self-disposed after they died, leaving no trace. Perfect for black ops missions, for example." He revealed.

"Well that explains that mystery." Tommy mumbled.

"Then one day, out of nowhere, he comes to me and Brigadier General Gran with what he described as the future of Amestris' military. He called them-"

"Zoanoids." Tommy responded with spite, cutting off the Fuhrer.

"You always were good at finishing my sentences, Mr. Cooper." He replied happily. "But yes, a Zoanoid. With a team of scientists and funding from Gran himself, Livingstone was able to bring us the first completed formula within a few months. The only problem that remained was that we needed someone to test it on. We were thrilled when he assured us that he had already taken care of that. Unfortunately, we had been scammed." Bradley explained, sounding a touch disappointed.

"Scammed?" Roy questioned.

"A Zoanoid's brain functions differently from ours. The original formula made it so that whenever a Zoanoid heard a command from an officer of a higher rank, they instantly do it, no questions asked. Livingstone had removed that part from the formula. This was stupid." Gran explained.

"Sounds like a pretty smart idea to me, why's it stupid?" Tommy asked.

"You see, Lieutenant, when Livingstone removed that part of the formula it made it unstable. So when he injected himself, it in turn made him unstable. Meaning, he would have died within two weeks." The Fuhrer explained.

"Ouch." Tommy replied casually.

"Ouch indeed." The Fuhrer chuckled in agreement.

"I still don't see why Gran says we should have protected him. The bastard deserved to die for what he did to his wife and Trent." Tommy stated firmly.

"You should have protected him because we could have saved him and made him face a proper trial. Making Zoanoids is a difficult and long process, one that involves many injections and many more painful treatments to the muscles, according to Livingstone. But all we had to do was start his treatment over, using the complete and original formula and he would have become the perfect weapon, obedient to the end. Unfortunately, it seems General Hakuro wasn't able to get in contact with you." Gran regretted to admit, his words stinging him like a fresh wound dipped in salt.

"Not that the attack would have mattered much. As you found out, Gregole is quite the adversary. Naturally, he would have been able to take out Mustang's forces within seconds. Thankfully, our vigilante showed up, just in the nick of time." The Fuhrer happily said.

"Bah! That costumed freak cost me nearly thirty thousand dollars in grant funds by killing my Gregole." Gran growled. Tommy shot him a glare.

"That costumed freak saved hundreds of lives, including the life of Ms. Hawkeye here." Tommy argued.

"And we're all very thankful for it. But now we have a bigger problem on our hands. That vigilante was able to take down Gregole with practically no trouble at all, from what I hear. In my eyes that makes him more dangerous than Gregole and arguably a more potent threat. If monsters don't have masters, then they need to be slain. Don't you agree, Lt. Cooper?" The Fuhrer asked. Tommy didn't respond.

"Keep talking old man. I'll show you a monster without a master." Tommy thought. "So how exactly do you plan on beating this guy? From what I've heard, he's pretty damn capable of handling things. He sure took care of your precious Gregole." Tommy questioned.

"That's the second purpose behind our little visit. Col. Mustang, if you don't mind, I'd like you to follow me. Bring your team if you like." The Fuhrer offered.

"Well actually, Sir, me and Edward Elric have an event scheduled for this evening and-"

"It's been re-scheduled. Now please come with us." Gran stated impatiently.

"Of course, Sir. Are you coming, Lt. Cooper?" Roy asked.

"Anything beats doing a pile of paperwork. Besides, I'm interested in seeing what you guys are cooking up." He replied. Gran cleared the room out, dismissing the other soldiers, and followed the Fuhrer as he lead Tommy, Roy, and Riza to a large military bunker that was on site. When they got inside, a strange sight met their eyes. In the middle of the room stood a man, heavy iron chains shackled to his arms and legs, all bolted to the ground. His head was hung low, his face covered in shadow.

"What do you think this is about?" Roy whispered to Tommy.

"I don't know. I got a bad feeling about it, whatever it is." He whispered back. "Can somebody tell me why this guy's in chains?" Tommy asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Protection." Gran explained.

"For us?" Tommy questioned.

"For him." Gran responded slowly.

" . . . I'm confused." Tommy slowly blurted out.

"He's called Vamore. He's going to be helping us catch that vigilante freak. We just didn't want anything to happen to him while we were gone, so we made sure he wouldn't run off." Gran explained.

"Vamore, huh?" Tommy said, trying out the name. The man in the middle of the room lifted his head up, gazing at everyone. He was a thin, lanky man with very snake like eyes and short black hair.

"That's right. At least that's what everyone else calls me." He sneered, his voice covered in a thick Scottish accent.

"No offense, but I'm still waiting to be amazed." Tommy responded, looking back at Gran with a taunting smirk that showed off Tommy's cocky attitude. Gran grinned deeply at him.

"Oh trust me, you'll be more than amazed. 'Cause if you thought that Gregole was bad, then you haven't seen anything yet." Vamore replied. Tommy quickly looked back at Vamore, dropping the smirk. He looked back at Gran, who still had a grin plastered on his face, and then looked at the Fuhrer.

"Please tell me he's not what I think he is." Tommy asked with a hint of anger lining his voice.

"That depends. If you think he's a Zoanoid then I'd say you're right. But then again, I don't know what you're thinking." Gran replied sarcastically. Tommy looked back at Vamore.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's so special about this one? What makes him so different from Gregole?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing really, all things considering." Gran replied.

"Considering what?" Tommy asked.

"Didn't you get the memo? After we found out what Livingstone had done, we went back to his former employer, the original creator of the Zoanoid. He then let us sample his selection of bio-weapons. Vamore is just one of many. " Gran explained with a pleased look on his face, like he was proud of what he had just said. Tommy's eyes widened in shock at the words Gran had just uttered.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell us that there's more than one of him?" Roy asked.

"We have at least one hundred more Vamores in stock. Not to mention one thousand Gregoles." Gran listed off.

"Listen to yourself! In stock? You make them sound like there some kind of goddamned product! For God's sake, these things used to be human beings!" Tommy growled furiously.

"Now, now, Lt. Cooper, there's no need to lose your temper." The Fuhrer calmly replied. Tommy sighed and scratched the back of his head in frustration. A thought then shot through his mind. He slowly turned his head to the left. Riza stood next to him, very closely, and he noticed that her hands were shaking uncontrollably. He watched her with a worried eye as she tried to keep herself calm, quietly hyperventilating. The look on her face, however, was what really made him worry. She was scared, terrified even. She hadn't made a single noise and yet her fear was screaming out to Tommy. He slowly placed a hand on Riza's shoulder. When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Sorry." Tommy whispered.

"It's okay." She whispered back.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a hush.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She responded just as quietly.

"Riza are-"

"Really, I'm fine." She whispered back, cutting him off.

" . . . Alright." He responded slowly. Tommy didn't believe her. But it was better just to leave her alone for a little while. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her even more. Or get punched again.

"So just what exactly do you plan on doing with . . . Vamore?" Roy asked as he tried getting used to the name.

"I plan on you using him," Gran explained. "He is weapon after all."

"And you're sure that he'll be able to beat that vigilante?" Roy asked, unsure of this unsuspecting man.

"Of course." Gran reassured Roy. He turned to Vamore. "Do it." He commanded. Vamore nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrating heavily on something. When he opened his eyes they were glowing yellow, just like Livingstone's eyes had done the other night. His skin turned a dark tan color and he grew to be almost as tall as a Gregole. His face shifted and changed until it closely resembled an angry and hellish armadillo. His shoulders expanded into large fleshy pods. The rest of his body was thin and bone like.

"Damn." Roy uttered in an impressed shock. Tommy remained silent, knowing he had to kill that monster the first chance he got. Something that strong would never be able to control itself.

"Amazing. I never tire of seeing them transform." Gran revealed with a sick glee.

"Please excuse me." Riza blurted out, on the brink of crying. She quickly dashed out of the room, her hand and bangs covering her face. She left the bunker, slamming the door behind her.

"What's her problem?" Grand asked, oblivious.

"I swear, one of these days, you and me are gonna throw down over how stupid you are!" Tommy snapped angrily at him. He quickly ran after Riza. When he made it outside she was nowhere to be seen. He ran inside Eastern Headquarters and soon bumped into Hughes.

"Hey, Tom, what's up?" He asked cheerfully.

"My blood pressure." Tommy sighed roughly. "Have you seen Riza?" He asked.

"I did, she stormed past me and out of the building, went straight for the courtyard. Is everything okay? She seemed kind of upset." Hughes asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Thanks, Hughes." Tommy quickly replied as he ran by him. Hughes stood there for a moment, scratching his head in confusion.

Making it to the courtyard wasn't hard, it was huge. Finding Riza wasn't hard either, she was the only one there. She was sitting on a bench with this awful and dreary blank look on her face. Tommy sat down beside her.

"Hey." He greeted. She didn't respond. " . . . The weather seems to be picking up. It's not as hot as it was yesterday, thank God. I consider myself more of a winter kind of guy." He admitted, looking over at her. Still, she said nothing. "Riza, please say something." He pleaded. Again, she said nothing. " . . . Look, I'm not going away. And I know I'm the last person you want to talk to, but right now I'm the only one whose around to listen." Tommy firmly, but gently told her. She stayed quiet for a long time, Tommy staring at her.

" . . . I can't do this anymore." She finally said.

"Can't do what?"

"Any of this. My job used to be so simple. It was always the same. File a paper here, watch out for Roy, pick up his slack from time to time. I thought I had seen some monsters before, but now I . . . I . . ." She began to cry again. Tommy placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, wiping her tears away with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this." She apologized.

"It's fine. Nothing I haven't seen before." Tommy softly admitted. "Besides, Gran should be the one apologizing. But he won't." Tommy grumbled.

"I never did like him. He always expects people to do what he says, no questions asked." Riza admitted as she dried the last of her tears up.

"That's Gran. Stone hearted war machines. That's what he thinks we are." He said quietly.

"Tommy, I don't want to be near him or that thing. Just the idea of standing in the same room as it makes me sick." She confessed, the disgust clear on her face.

"I don't like it either. But Gran is our superior officer, and what he says goes, especially if he has the Fuhrer backing him up." Tommy sadly pointed out.

"I don't understand. Did you see him back there? It was like last night never even happened. All he cared about was his monster." She replied, shocked by Gran's lack of empathy.

"I should expect nothing less from a true monster." Tommy responded grimly. Riza saw the expression in his face. It looked like guilt. He was staring at his feet and had his hands buried in his pockets.

"Did . . . did something happen between you two?" She asked cautiously, hoping she wasn't touching a sore subject.

". . . Yeah, you could say that." He murmured just as cautiously, not sure if he should be telling her more than she needs to know.

"What? If you don't mind me asking." She politely asked.

"I don't like to talk about it." Tommy mumbled. Tommy felt her place a hand on his shoulder.

"Please. It'll help take my mind off of things. Plus . . . I like listening to you talk." She admitted nervously, cheeks blushing. Tommy looked at her and saw she had this small, barely visible, smile on her face.

" . . . Tell you what, how about tomorrow you and I spend the morning in the firing range. Just the two of us. If you say yes, I'll tell you what happened. Deal?" Tommy proposed. She stared at him for a moment. Then her smile grew brighter.

"It's a deal." She accepted. Riza got up from the bench and started to walk towards the building entrance.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked.

"I got some work I need to do. Care to walk me back to the office?" She asked. Tommy agreed with a smile. They walked back in silence. Not an awkward one though, just silence. Riza spent the rest of the day working hard. Tommy, on the other hand, buried himself deep within the empty pages of his sketch book, content on filling out a few with the image of a smiling lady.


	9. Chapter9:Past Troubles and Present Fears

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 9: Past Troubles and Present Fears**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: Please review. That is all. Thank you, you guys :)**

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in italics it means it's a flashback._

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 9

Past Troubles and Present Fears

Riza's night was arguably better than her previous one. Her nightmares had lessened, only waking her up twice. An improvement in her eyes. She got up earlier than she normally did, enthusiastic about the start of her day. She slowly strolled down the halls of Eastern Command, heading for the firing range. When she opened the doors, she was pleased to see Tommy already there, reloading his massive pistol. His leather jacket was off, tossed to the ground, resting next to him. He turned and smiled at her.

"Got a head start, I see." Riza pointed out in a teasing manner, but never losing her professionalism. She walked past him, removed her coat and hung up both it and her handbag. Tommy watched as she did so, his eyes scanning her body, hovering over her butt for a moment or two before she turned around.

"I like to start parties, not show up to them." He replied with a smirk. He turned around and took aim. Riza coughed in that intentional, attention grabbing manner, causing Tommy to pry his eyes away from the target and look at her with confusion.

"You have a story to tell me." She firmly pointed out. Tommy inhaled deeply and sighed roughly, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at his feet nervously and then back at her.

"Yeah . . . I guess I do," Tommy said slowly, regretting the deal he had made with Riza. "Are you sure you wanna hear this? It's not exactly a happy story." Tommy explained.

"I'm a big girl, Mr. Cooper. I can handle it." She said confidently.

" . . . It happened about eleven years ago." Tommy began.

* * *

_It was the beginning of the Ishbalan conflict. Troops fought and died in the blood stained sands of the east. Young men turned into cold and old war vets. That is . . . if they lived long enough. Deep inside a military outpost, two figures conversed for the first time._

"_So you're Cooper, huh? Well it's nice to meet you." Gran greeted Tommy, shaking his hand. Tommy was only nineteen and he already had become a Second Lieutenant. It's hard to believe that only a year ago he started out as a grunt. But after he impressed everyone with his skills during a hostage situation, he climbed the ranks fast, with little to no problem. Perhaps too fast. He was still so young, surely not ready to face the horrors of war, some said. But Tommy dismissed what they had to say. He believed he could handle it._

_Tommy was meeting Basque Gran for the first time and was rather excited. He had heard stories about the great Iron Blood Alchemist and of how amazing his alchemical powers were. He was even more excited to be working with him on an assignment._

_"It's nice to meet you too, Sir." Tommy eagerly replied._

_"Excited?" Gran asked, admiring the kid's energy and enthusiasm._

_"Yes, Sir. It's an honor to be working with a legend such as yourself." Tommy gushed. Gran laughed hardily. _

_"That's the spirit, my boy. Come with me." Gran said as he turned and walked out of the tent. Their military outpost was stationed just outside of_ _Ishbal. They had just received orders to eliminate an Ishbalan man suspected of being a weapons dealer who stole from the State Military. Tommy had read the file on the guy and it seemed simple. Get in, get out, go home, and all is a happy ending. The man's house was outside of the city limits, so noise wouldn't be a problem. Though there was the chance that he would put up a fight. Thank God the Iron Blood Alchemist was with them, Tommy figured._

_Tommy hopped in a small jeep with three other soldiers, not including Gran, and immediately set out across the vast sea of sand. The three soldiers in the back kept to themselves. Tommy did the same. He didn't like them. Something about them seemed wrong; they gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. They drove around for an hour or so until they came to a halt. Tommy climbed out of the truck, a house meeting his gaze. He looked at it with a somewhat puzzled look on his face._

"_This can't be the right place. This looks like a small family home." To__mmy thought. Everyone else piled out of the vehicle quickly._

_"Lt. Cooper, you stay here and wait outside. This won't take long." Gran commanded. Tommy watched as Basque and the other three soldiers kicked down the door and started barking orders to someone. They barged inside and Tommy stood there, listening to the screams that came from inside. A man suddenly went flying out of the front door. He landed on the sand, spitting and coughing up blood._ _Gran came out, his iron glove taking the form of a large gun. _

_"On your knees! Now!" He barked. When the man didn't comply, Gran kicked him in the ribs, making him cough up more blood. He was finally able to sit himself on his knees after quickly catching his breath. _

_"Please don't kill me!" He begged. "I had no choice! They said they were going to kill my family if I didn't comply!"_

_"Shut up!" Gran barked, smacking him in the face with his gun-glove. "Say your prayers Ishbalan." He said as he took aim._

_"Wait! Please! You can go ahead and kill me, but please don't harm my family." He pleaded as he motioned towards the house. Tommy looked at the doorway to see a mother holding her daughter in her arms. _

_"Very well, your family will be spared." Gran agreed. The man then closed his eyes and Gran shot him at point blank range, through the back of the head. The wife screamed and cried as her husband's body hit the ground. Gran turned to the door way. _

_"Lt. Cooper, get them inside, now!" He ordered. Tommy froze, staring into the daughter's tear filled eyes. _

"_I . . . I . . . " Tommy stuttered, his mind racing. _

"_Dumb kid." Gran grumbled. He ordered the three other solders and they did as they were told to do, pushing them inside, locking the door from the outside._

_"Wait a minute, what are you guys doing?" Tommy asked._

_"We can't allow them to live, they could tell Ishbalan soldiers where we came from. We can't afford that." Gran explained, as though it were nothing._

_"But you promised that man you wouldn't hurt them." Tommy argued._

_"It's called lying, Lt. Cooper, I suggest you get used to it." Gran growled. "Now burn the house and don't forget to burn the man's body too." He commanded the other three. Tommy stood there as the building, with the two remaining family members inside, went up in a blaze. Tommy just stood there, horrified, listening to the screams of the mother and her daughter slowly fade away, along with the ashes. _

_"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" One of the men asked. Tommy didn't respond. He was mortified at the horrendous act he had just witnessed. And of his own actions._

"_Why didn't I do anything? Why did I just stand here? I could have helped them."__ Tommy thought. Gran saw the look on Tommy's face._

_"What's done is done, Lieutenant. You shouldn't worry yourself. After all . . . they were only Ishbalan." Gran said in an attempt to calm the young soldier. At that moment something within Tommy snapped. The guilt and disgust that had been building up inside of him from the moment his fellow soldiers kicked down the door had turned into fury and rage. And thanks to Gran, it was about to be unleashed. Tommy slowly turned around, looking Gran in the eye. The anger was clear on Tommy's face and Gran could see it. _

_"What? You angry or something? Huh? You mad because I think so little of them? What are you going to do about it?" Gran asked. Tommy broke eye contact with Gran, looking off to the side in disgust._

_"That's what I thought."Gran snickered with a smirk. Tommy turned around, but instead of walking the other way, his body did what his mind had been thinking of doing. Quickly, with precise aim, Tommy preformed a powerful round house kick, cracking Gran in the side of the head. As Gran fell to the ground, one of the soldiers grabbed Tommy from behind, only to have Tommy slip out of his military jacket and elbow his attacker in the face. Tommy dispatched the other two with ease, just so he could focus his attention on Basque._

_"You little shit! You're going to pay for that." Gran growled as he wiped the blood from under his lip, picking himself up off the ground. Gran placed a good blow to Tommy's face, his fist slamming against it hard, followed with another to his stomach. He went for a kick, but Tommy caught his foot. He flipped Gran onto his back, took hold of his arm, and with two quick flicks of the hand, he broke the Iron Blood Alchemist's arm in four different spots. Tommy let go of Gran's arm, and breathed heavily. He didn't know it, but he was smiling. He enjoyed taking Gran down. It felt good. Suddenly, something slammed against the back of his head and he went down, blacking out. One of the soldiers he had previously taken down, managed to get to his feet and hit him with the butt of his gun. _

_Tommy woke up to find the other soldiers that he had knocked out beating him senseless, all while Gran sat there and watched. When they got back to base Gran told his side of the story. Tommy kept quiet. He knew no matter what he said, or how he phrased it, he would still lose the argument and Gran would get his way. So he accepted his punishment, to__ stay a Second Lt. until he proved himself worthy of being promoted._

* * *

"After that day, I stopped wearing my uniform. Anything to piss off that ugly bastard." Tommy silently finished. He leaned against the firing booth, waiting for a response from Riza, staring at the untouched bulls-eye. When he heard nothing, he looked to see her staring at him with a wide eyed look of disbelief.

"You . . . attacked the Brigadier General? Just like that?" She asked in disbelief. Basque Gran was the military's top hand to hand combat specialist. If you were in Gran's face, you were in risk of being sent to the hospital.

" . . . I've been called many things in my life. Friend, brother, soldier. But the one I find myself coming back too the most, especially after taking down Gran, is monster." He mumbled quietly. "Riza, I want you to understand that I only did what I did because Gran pushed me the wrong way too fast. I'm not really like that, despite what he or anyone else says." Tommy defended himself.

"I'm . . . I'm so sorry. I knew he was bad, but that's just . . ." She was at a loss for words.

"Inhuman?" Tommy suggested. Riza nodded. "Yeah, well that's Gran for ya." Tommy sighed. She continued to stare at him, though not with wide eyed confusion.

" . . . Thank you." She said gently. Tommy looked at her quizzically.

"For what?"

" . . . For keeping my mind busy. I thought about this morning all day yesterday. Hell, it helped me get through the night. You didn't have to tell me anything, and yet you did. So thank you." She said with a bright smile. Tommy smiled back.

"It was no problem. But uh . . . you know, I gotta ask . . . why did you hit me yesterday?" Tommy asked. Her smile faded.

" . . . The other night was rough on me. I needed to blow some steam and I thought the range would help . . . "

"But it didn't." Tommy finished for her. She shook her head.

"Slowly, I found myself becoming filled with so much anger that I eventually just broke down." She confided.

"Yeah, right on my face." He said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry about that, really I am. It's just that when you grabbed me . . . it made me think back to the way Livingstone had grabbed me." She deeply apologized. Immediately after she said that, Tommy's eyes sprung down to her neck. Her bruise was slightly visible, a dark purple ring around her neck. He brought his eyes back up to hers.

"It's okay. We all go mad once in a while. Roy and I know that better than anyone." Tommy explained. Riza didn't say anything. "Riza?"

"Tommy, did you tell Roy about what happened between us at the range?" She asked.

" . . . Yes." Tommy admitted.

"Did you tell anyone else?" She asked.

"No."

" . . . Thank you." Riza said. After that, it went quiet. The awkward kind. The kind of awkward silence when you know someone in the room wants to say something, but they're not sure how to go about saying it.

" . . . When did you start thinking about it?" Tommy finally asked. It was a question he had dreaded asking her, but it had to be done. He needed to help her.

"What are you talking about?" Riza asked.

" . . . When did you start thinking about killing yourself?" Tommy asked slowly. His voice was calm, but you could tell he was talking about a subject matter that wasn't new to him. She stared at him for a long time, scared to open her mouth. And then she finally did.

" . . . Shortly before you found me crying. It's actually why I was crying in the first place. I felt so ashamed that I would even consider that an option. " She quietly admitted, the shame clear on her face, her eyes averting his gaze.

"Are you still thinking about it?" Tommy asked, his voice still calm and understanding.

" . . . I don't know. Because of last night . . . I was a top marksman. Now I'm having difficulty hitting the simplest of targets. I tried so hard, pushed myself to do my best. But no matter how hard I tried, the bullet wouldn't go where I wanted it to go." She admitted shamefully. "So if I can't even hit a piece of paper . . . then what good am I to anyone?" She asked, looking Tommy dead in the eye, her lower lip quivering.

"You can't think like that. Last night was hard on everyone, you more so. And you have every right to be upset, disturbed, or feel however you wanna feel. But don't you dare think any less of yourself because some monster almost killed you." Tommy told her, his eyes strong with emotion.

"It's not the fact that he almost killed me . . . it's that he could have killed Roy, and there wouldn't have been a thing I could do to stop it from happening. The very thought of that . . . I couldn't handle it. The other night . . . my life felt as if it was over. I felt like I failed my job. And I can't afford to fail my job. Not ever." She revealed, her eyes watering up. Tommy suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders. She looked at him fearfully.

" . . . Do you want me to help you?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"You . . . you can help me?" She stuttered. He nodded with a warm, small pulled her over and placed her inside his booth, standing behind her. She looked down the range to see a fresh bulls-eye target, yet to be hit. The more she stared at it the more it mocked her, teased her. And the longer she stared at it, the easier it was for her mind to put Gregole's smiling face on that thin sheet of paper. Riza's breathing became heavy and quick. She started hyperventilating and that's when Tommy's hand gently pressed down against her chest, causing her cheeks became a dark shade of red.

"Lt. Cooper, what are you doing?!" She snapped at him. She wasn't angry, just shocked.

"Control your breathing; you'll never hit anything if you keep breathing like that." He gently instructed her. She knew he was right, but did he have to go about it like this? Never the less, she did as he said and tried to keep her breathing at a steady pace. Tommy pushed down on her chest a little harder. Riza tried her hardest not to let out a small moan. She didn't know if Tommy knew it, but part of his hand was pushing against her breast. And part of her liked it.

"You're doing well. Just slow it down just a touch more."

"O-Okay." She said nervously. Tommy could feel her breathing coming to a crawl and that's when he took his hand away from her chest.

"Take aim." He instructed. Riza quickly raised her gun in front of her with both hands. Tommy could see her arms were a bit shaky and Riza knew he could see it.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"There's no need to be sorry. It's just your nerves, that's all." He whispered as he got closer to her. She felt his chest brush against her back. Before she could question his actions, he grabbed her by the hips and gently pulled her closer to him until her body was pressed tightly up against his.

"T-T-Tommy?!" She stuttered nervously. This was borderline sexual harassment and she wouldn't take any more of it. She was about to shake him off when his chin rested on her shoulder and his hands grabbed her wrists, his arms acting like braces or reinforcements.

"Relax. I know this must seem odd, but trust me, it's going to help. Do you trust me?" He whispered.

" . . . Y-Yes." She stuttered again, even more nervously than before. All she could picture was him bending her over, ripping her pants down and having his way with her. What worried her more was that she couldn't make up her mind on whether that was really as bad as it sounded.

"Look at the target." He instructed, his voice taking on a more strict tone. She quickly shook that ridiculous thought from her head and did as she was told. "His face is right there. Looking you right in the eye. Isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes." She responded quickly.

"Are you afraid of it?"

". . . Yes." She admitted, shamefully.

" . . . Good. Being scared isn't something to be ashamed of. No one likes admitting it, but fear is what keeps us alive half the time. Now you're going to hit in straight in the middle. You got that?" He told her. The question was redundant and she knew it. That's why she only nodded. "Alright then. Now before you even think about hitting that target, I want you to imagine something special." He commanded.

"Special?" She replied, questioning his odd usage of the word.

"Something that's special to you. Like a place, or a person."

"A . . . person?" She asked quietly.

"That's right. Why? Do you have someone in mind?" He asked.

" . . . Yes." She said with a small smile.

"Think about them hard. Think of all the things you like about this special someone."

"I am." She whispered back.

" . . . Livingstone is still looking at you. Teasing you, taunting you. But you don't care. Because that special someone is right behind you. And you've got a job to do." He whispered softly into her ear. Her grip on the gun tightened and she pulled the hammer back. She stood there for a moment, staring down the sights. She squeezed the trigger over and over again, emptying the entire clip, shell casings dropping to the ground. Riza set her gun down and turned back to face Tommy. He was standing by the wall with a pleased look on his face. She hadn't even noticed that he had stepped away from her.

"Nice shooting." He complimented as he pointed towards the target. She looked back and smiled brightly. Every round had hit exactly where she wanted them to hit. She then looked back at Tommy and smiled at him and he smiled back. Tommy admitted to himself that Roy was right; he did have feelings for Riza. For the first time in almost eighteen years he truly felt like he had found someone that he could really open up to.

"Did you learn that technique from someone?" She asked as she holstered her gun.

"Well the first part I learned from a friend. That last part I made up as I went along." He said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. Riza started to blush again.

"Thank you." She said as he started to walk away.

"Are you going back to the office?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, someone has to do the Colonel's paper work." She chuckled.

"Yeah, that's Roy." He chuckled as he shook head. He watched as Riza walked away, leaving Tommy standing there for a little while. Suddenly Riza re-entered the firing range.

"Oh and, Lieutenant? Put your hands on my hips like that again and I will not hesitate to pistol whip you." She told him strictly. He blushed, suddenly feeling small under her gaze. She then left him. He let out a sigh of relief. He stared at the door, his thoughts drifting.

"She's amazing. It's completely insane, but if I could do this again I would. I would give anything to be that close to her again. To help her again." Tommy thought. Tommy's thoughts then turned to the newest member of his team. Vamore. He hadn't seen him today, which he was thankful for. But it made him wonder what he was up to.

"There's only one person who could possibly know anything about this new Zoanoid." Tommy said to himself. Tommy left the firing range and found his way down to the mess hall, where he was more than surprised to see a dozen State Alchemist's having their lunch. One of them was smaller than most and being annoyed by Hughes.

"Isn't she just adorable?!" Maes screamed into Ed's ear.

"Yes, Hughes, for the thirteenth time, she's a bundle of joy! Now can you please put the photos away and let me eat my lunch in peace?" Ed begged, the annoyance clear in his voice. Tommy sat down on the opposite side of the lunch table.

"Hey there, Coop. How was your search for Lt. Hawkeye? Did ya find her?" Hughes asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, I found her." Tommy replied with subtle happy tone. Not subtle enough, cause Hughes noticed it immediately.

"Is she okay? I heard that she was pretty upset yesterday." Ed asked.

"Why? What happened?" Hughes asked.

"Gran showed off his new toy." Tommy explained.

"Oh, you're talking about Vamore, aren't you?" Hughes asked as he put his photo of Elicia in his back pocket. Tommy nodded. "I know how she feels. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw him first transform."

"Yeah, but she was still shook up from the last time she saw one of them transform." Tommy pointed out.

"Last time? Oh, that's right, she was the one that almost got killed by that wild Gregole." Hughes said as he snatched a piece of bread off of Ed's lunch tray.

"Hughes, you know I don't like being kept in the dark. Please tell me that you know something about these Zoanoids." Tommy pleaded with the eccentric father of the cutest child in the world.

"Well, unfortunately, I was put in charge of investigating and cataloging Dr. Livingstone's research, so I pretty much know everything there is at the moment. And I have to say the guy knew what he was doing." Hughes admitted, even though he felt rotten about it. Tommy and Ed gave each other a puzzled glance.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked.

"Gregole was just one part of a bigger picture. They haven't told me who Livingstone worked for, but I know he's just recently been giving the military Zoanoids. And from what I'm hearing, this guy has been at it for a long time. So far he's donated over sixteen new kinds of Zoanoids. All within the past few days. That's Vamore included. Seems this mysterious boss of Livingstone's has struck up a military contract with The Fuhrer himself." Hughes explained.

"Sixteen kinds of Zoanoid!" Tommy exclaimed. Hughes motioned Tommy to keep his voice down. He looked about, making sure no one was looking at them suspiciously. When the coast was clear he went on.

"Yeah, and they're making more by the minute. By the way, make sure no one finds out that I told you any of this. I'm not even supposed to be talking about what I've seen." Hughes pointed out.

"Our lips are sealed." Ed promised, making the sealed lips gesture.

"Hughes, can you do me a favor?" Tommy asked.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you tell me if the name Aptom rings any bells?" Tommy asked in a hushed tone. Hughes thought for a moment, removing his glasses, and polishing the lenses with a cloth he had in his pocket. Ed stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Aptom you say? Nope . . . sorry, doesn't sound familiar." He said as he put his glasses back on.

"Damn. Thanks anyway." Tommy grumbled.

"No problem." Hughes replied with a big smile. Tommy coughed and started to scratch his throat.

"Say, Ed, could you be a sport and get me something to drink?" Tommy asked.

"Uh, sure." Ed replied. He got up and left the table. Tommy made sure Ed was out of earshot before he talked to Hughes.

"Okay, Hughes, now why don't you tell me what you guys are really doing here." Tommy pressed, his tone turning strict and serious.

"W-what do you mean?" Hughes stuttered.

"Oh come on, Maes, I'm not an idiot. The Fuhrer and almost half of the military's best State Alchemist's don't just gather together in one spot, a spot that's not Central I might add, for no reason." Tommy pointed out.

"Dammit! And I thought I was nosy." Hughes remarked.

"You are. Now what's going on?" Tommy pressed.

"I might as well tell you, seeing as how you and the the Squad might get involved in this." Hughes sighed.

"The Squad? Damn, it must be big." Tommy replied, his intrigue peaked.

"You don't know the half of it. There's a killer on the loose." Hughes said quietly and in a serious manner.

"When isn't there?" Tommy replied sarcastically.

"No, Coop, this one isn't normal. He's killing State Alchemists." Hughes revealed in a hushed tone.

"What?!" Tommy gasped.

"I know, it sounds crazy." Hughes admitted.

"Maes, I deal with crazy on a daily bases. I'm just surprised anyone would have the balls to take on a Dog of the military," Tommy admitted, gazing around the room, spying all Alchemist's pocket watch chains. "So how's he doing it?" Tommy inquired, looking back at Hughes.

"He explodes their brains." Hughes replied grimly.

"That's . . . a new one. Any leads as to who it is?" Tommy asked.

"None yet, but I'm supposed be getting some information later on today or early tomorrow." Hughes informed his friend.

"Keep me posted." Tommy said as he got up. Ed made it back to the table, Tommy was gone, and Hughes was reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Oh no." Ed uttered grimly. Tommy went straight to Roy's office to talk about what was going to be done about their new 'friend'. Tommy opened the door and saw Gran standing in front of Roy's desk, talking to him. Tommy looked to the left and saw Vamore, in his human form, leaning against the wall. He couldn't help but notice that he was staring at Riza, who was calmly working away, as was the rest of the group, occasionally looking up from their paperwork to focus on Roy and Gran's argument.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Gran argued.

"I don't think it's a good idea to just start using him. Everyone saw the damage that Gregole did and they were terrified of him. Now imagine what happens if the people find out that we're using them as weapons." Roy countered.

"That's a risk we will just have to take." Gran growled, tired of this pointless fighting.

"Then there's the fact that no one is going to want to work with him because they're terrified of him." Roy pointed out.

"Then they'll just have to get over it. This isn't a request, Mustang, it's an order." Gran said, ending the argument.

" . . . Fine, he stays. But I'm only going to use him as a last resort." Roy countered.

"Very well." Gran huffed. The phone suddenly rang and Mustang picked it up.

"What? What, how did this happen?! Dammit! We'll be there as soon as possible." Roy sternly promised, slamming the phone down onto the receiver.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"A military protected warehouse has been taken over by rebels." Roy informed Tommy.

"Oh, that's perfect!" Tommy replied sarcastically. "And let me guess, it was a weapons warehouse, wasn't it?" Tommy asked.

"Yes it was. We're moving out people, get ready to go within the hour. It's going to be a long trip." Roy commanded. Everyone saluted and left the room, except for Roy, Tommy and Vamore.

"I take it you talked to Hawkeye?" Roy asked.

"Yeah and she'll be okay. You don't need to worry about her." Tommy reassured Roy.

"That's good to hear." Roy said, nodding his head.

"I would lay off her a bit, though."

"Lay off her?" Roy questioned.

"Yeah. She's over worked, Roy. Maybe you could give her a few days off? I know I just said she's going to be fine, but I just wanna make sure. You know?" Tommy pleaded.

"I think I can arrange that." Roy responded with a smile.

"Thanks man." Tommy said with a smile, patting Roy on the shoulder. Tommy turned to see Vamore looking at him with a deep smirk on his face. "And just what the hell are you smirking at?" Tommy asked as he dropped his smile.

"Nothing. I just think it's cute how you're looking out for that hot little piece of ass." He remarked.

"What did you just say?" Tommy hissed angrily as he got right up in Vamore's face.

"You heard me. Don't try denying it, 'cause I can see it in your eyes. You want that sweet little blonde girl just as much as I do." He admitted, licking his lower lip.

"You stay away from her." Tommy growled through a clenched jaw.

"Or else what?" He asked as his eyes started to glow yellow and his teeth started to sharpen.

"Or else I'll kill you." Tommy threatened.

"You? Kill me? That's a laugh." He scoffed as his voice started to alter and change.

"I'd watch what you say around me asshole, or else you might just end up eating your own words." Tommy warned him.

"Tommy, we have to go." Roy intervened. Tommy backed off and left the room with Roy. Vamore stayed behind, his eyes and teeth returning to their original form. He walked over to Mustang's desk and picked up the phone. He dialed a number and waited. Someone on the other end picked up.

"It's me. Listen you need to tell the boss that we may have a problem here with Mustang and his crew." Vamore said.

"What do you mean?" A man on the other end asked.

"I mean that they don't trust me or anyone like me ever since that little fiasco with that Gregole happened." Vamore explained.

"Don't worry about the Colonel. I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later." The man on the other end reassured Vamore.

"I suppose your right. I'm more concerned about that blonde fellow though." Vamore admitted.

"Who? Lt. Hawkeye?" He asked.

"No, the other one, the new guy." Vamore responded casually.

"Oh, Lt. Cooper. Yes, he will be a problem that . . . could you hold on a second?" He asked.

"Of course." Vamore replied in a professional manner. Vamore could hear some voices in the background, but couldn't make out anything they were saying.

"I just received confirmation from the boss to give you the green light. After you and Mustang's crew have finished up with that warehouse situation you are to kill Lt. Cooper." The man instructed.

"That won't be a problem." Vamore replied evilly, with a villainous smile.

"Very well. Hail Chronos." The man signed off.

"Hail Chronos." Vamore signed off. He hung up the phone and left the office.


	10. Chapter 10: Before the Raid

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 10: Before the Raid**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: This chapter is a little shorter than I'd like and I apologize for that. **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in italics it means it's a flashback._

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 10

Before the Raid

Tommy walked slowly down the hallway, Roy along side him. He glanced over at Tommy. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his jacket and he still looked infuriated. They stayed silent for a long time, the clack of their boots the only sound heard. Finally, Roy spoke up, unable to stand the silence any longer.

"You mind telling me what that was back there?" He asked.

"What's there to tell? You know how I get when people talk about women like that." Tommy reminded him.

"I understand, but you threatened to kill him." Roy pointed out.

"And I meant it." Tommy replied sternly. Roy sighed roughly. "Don't tell me that what he said didn't get to you, because I know it did."

"I'm not saying it didn't. I was ready to torch him right there on the spot, but in this line of work I've learned to keep my emotions at bay, and by now you should have learned it too." Roy berated him. He stopped Tommy in the middle of the hall, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Now look, I don't like the idea of working with him either, but for the time being we're just going to have to deal with it." Roy concluded with a frown.

"Don't remind me." Tommy groaned, shaking Roy's hand away from his shoulder. He walked on and Roy eventually followed. Tommy opened the armory door. Inside, everyone was getting ready for the mission. Including Riza.

"I'll go tell Hawkeye she can have a few days off." Roy said. Tommy watched as he walked over and began talking to her. After a moment, Roy came back with a bit of a puzzled look on his face.

"What did she say?" Tommy asked.

"I told her that she could have whatever days off she wanted and she eagerly accepted it. I only asked that she would just stay back and do paperwork for the remainder of the week, stay out of this mission." Roy explained.

"And?" Tommy pressed.

"And she insisted on coming. She said if she didn't go she'd be letting someone down." Roy went on as he looked back at Riza with the same confused look. Tommy looked at Riza from across the room. She was doing better than she had been earlier this morning. Tommy could see it. Her face had a livelier look to it, a small, barley noticeable smile graced her lips as she got ready. It was refreshing to see. Much better than looking tired all the time and flinching at the slightest of movements. He found it hard to believe that at first he didn't think he was going to like it here. Something about Mustang's crew was different than others. They weren't just a uniform and a gun. They were a family, one that easily accepted him as their own. It was something that Tommy hadn't felt from anyone in a long time. He grabbed some gear and left the armory, joining up with his team and about twenty other soldiers in the briefing room where Mustang informed everyone on the situation at hand.

"Listen up people, I'm only going to say this once. Our objective is here." Roy said, pointing to a spot on a map. "It's one of our own warehouses, so don't go shooting up the place." He added with a smirk.

"Who are these guys?" A soldier asked.

"It's gotta be Blue Squad. They're the only ones with the balls to do this." Breda chimed in.

"I wish it were Blue Squad. At least then we'd know who we're up against." Roy replied. Everyone gave each other a curious look. "We don't have any information as to who this rebel group is. All we have is a single photograph. It seems they like to brandish a symbol around in the form a of a red flag with this symbol." Roy explained as he pinned a picture on the wall. Everyone saw the image of a large delivery truck with a red flag strapped to the side of it. On the flag was a big Z with a thunderbolt going through the middle.

"Where did this photo come from?" Tommy asked. In his years working with the military Tommy had come across many rebel and extremists organizations. But this Z with the thunderbolt was new to him. Which meant one of two things; either the group was new and just starting up, or the group was good enough to stay hidden this long, and was just now being made public to the military.

"The photo's origins are sketchy at best. It was given to us anonymously." Roy explained.

"That's never good." Tommy mumbled to himself.

"That's why we need to catch at least one rebel and bring him back alive for questioning. Now this warehouse is actually made up of two separate warehouses that were connected together to increase space. Team One will go in through building A's back entrance. Once they clear it out they will signal Team Two. Upon receiving the signal, Team Two will enter the back of building B. Everyone in this room is Team One. Team Two has already been informed by Brigadier General Gran. Remember, we need at least one of these rebel soldiers alive. You're dismissed." Roy concluded. Everyone left the room and headed for the military transport trucks. Tommy jumped into the back of Team One's designated truck and, much to his surprise, saw Ed and Al.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked.

"Gran ordered us to come along." Ed grumbled. Tommy scowled as he took a seat. It was just like Gran to take advantage of a situation, even if it meant putting a child in danger. Members of Team One started to pile into the truck. Riza climbed in, taking a seat next to Tommy. He tried to hide the small smile on his lips. He was about to strike up a conversation with her when Vamore got in the back with them. He sat right across from Tommy, their eyes locking instantaneously. The engine started up and they all headed out. Al inched closer to Tommy.

"Is that him?" Al whispered as they all sped down the road.

"Yeah, that's him." Tommy whispered back.

"He doesn't look like a monster." Al responded with a child's innocence.

"Neither do I." Tommy replied. Al stared at Tommy for a moment and then inched back over to his brother's side.

" . . . Ed, what would you think of yourself if you were Lt. Cooper?" Al quietly asked his brother. Ed looked over at him with a confused look on his face.

"I dunno. I guess I'd think of myself as hero or something. Why?"

" . . . Just curious I guess." Al replied. Vamore continued to stare at Tommy with his snake like eyes. He suddenly shifted his gaze in Riza's direction. Tommy followed his gaze and didn't like the way he was looking at her. He watched as his eyes trailed Riza's body up and down and up again. He could just hear Vamore's thoughts screaming from his eyes, saying what he would do to her if he ever got the chance.

" . . . So," Vamore suddenly began. "I hope I didn't scare you, Ms. Hawkeye." He said with a charming smile. Tommy watched Riza, waiting for a reaction.

" . . . No, you didn't scare me. I was just a bit startled." She replied in a calm and collective manner.

"Well that's good. I wouldn't want to frighten off one of the prettiest girls here, now would I?" He replied with a cocky attitude, so sure of himself. He glanced over at Tommy, smirking. Tommy's jaw clenched tightly and his hands were balled into firm fists.

"A pretty girl am I?" Riza said in an almost air headed manner.

"Of course." Vamore said smugly, looking back at Riza.

"That's funny. I distinctively remember you using a different set of words to describe me. I believe the exact words were, hot little piece of ass." She just as smugly shot back. Vamore's eyes widened with shock. Tommy on the other hand, had a giant smiled plastered on his face.

"You uh . . . heard that, huh?" Vamore stammered, still shocked.

"Yes I did. And everything after that too." She said, looking at Tommy. Tommy stopped smiling and shared the same expression as Vamore. Vamore positioned himself so that he wouldn't have to look at either of them.

"How did you know he said all that?" Tommy whispered to Riza.

"I was walking by the door when I heard him make that remark about me." She whispered back with a smile on her face.

"Listen about what I said-"

"It's okay, Lieutenant. I understand. I don't necessarily agree with how you went about it, but I understand." She said as she loaded her gun. Tommy wanted to smile. But he couldn't. All he could do was frown and scold himself. Twice now she had witnessed him lose his temper. To him, that was two times too many. He turned away from her and closed his eyes. This trip was going to be longer than he had anticipated.


	11. Chapter 11: Best Laid Plans

**Fullmetal Guyver**

**Author: Ballott**

**Chapter 11: Best Laid Plans**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Guyver**

**AN: Please Review, that's all I can really ask for. I hope you enjoy. **

**WARNING: This story contains gore, strong language, and very adult themes. If any of these things bother you I suggest you not read this story.**

_When it's in italics it means it's a flashback._

* * *

Fullmetal Guyver

Chapter 11

Best Laid Plans

The warehouse was located on the outskirts of East City, somewhere in the middle of the country side. They had been driving for an hour or so, the sun setting in the distance, bathing the empty fields and lonesome roads in it's dark orange glow. Tommy, nestled in the back of the truck that rumbled down the dirt road, surrounded by his fellow soldiers, strained to keep his eyes open. He had to keep a lookout, a constant watch over Vamore, no matter what. The new Zoanoid sat across from him, resting his head against his arms as he slept. Tommy felt so drained watching him sleep, maybe even jealous. It felt unfair, for a monster like that to be able to sleep so soundly. Tommy could feel himself growing drowsier by the minute. He yawned as his head dipped downwards, his eye lids slowly shutting. He finally rested his eyes for what seemed like a few moments, only to wake back up when the truck came to a halt, the breaks creaking, the engine dieing down.

"Have a nice nap?" Havoc chuckled.

"Nap?" Tommy questioned tiredly.

"The both of you slept for a good hour." Ed chimed in.

"The both of us?" Tommy replied, his confusion piling. He then noticed a tight, constricting feeling around his arm. He turned his head to find Riza sleeping soundly, her head rested against his shoulder, and her arms wrapped tightly around his. Tommy couldn't help but blush brightly.

"Never seen her pass out quite like that before." Fuery commented, adjusting his glasses. Tommy shook Riza gently. She slowly sat upright, moaning slightly, releasing her grip on Tommy's arm to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Hmm? Have we arrived?" She asked. She seemed unaware of how she was using Tommy as a pillow.

"Uh, yeah." Tommy shyly replied, avoiding eye contact. Riza shook her head, as if to knock the drowsiness out of her, and stood up, rifle at her side as she leaped out of the back of the truck. Everyone followed suit, hopping out of the truck, fully loaded and ready to go. What met their eyes wasn't quite what they were expecting. It appeared that the military had set up four tents around the front of the warehouse. Riza watched as a man with a stethoscope around his neck exited the far left tent, heading for the far right tent. She caught a glimpse inside as he walked out, a tired look on his face.

"There's wounded men in there." She mumbled.

"What the hell is going on? What are these men doing here? Are they back up?" Havoc asked. Team Two's truck pulled up, they're brakes screeching just as loudly as Team One's. Roy hopped out the back, looking dumbstruck.

"What's all this?" He asked, walking over to Tommy, his eyes locked on the tents.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Tommy replied, still trying to make sense of the situation. A soldier decked in full camouflage stepped out from the far right tent, the man with the stethoscope beside him. They spoke briefly, the man everyone assumed was the medic heading back to his patients. The solder in the camouflage spotted Mustang. He quickly made his way over. His head was cleanly shaved, as well as the five o'clock shadow that surrounded his squared chin and jaw. He had wide nose, somewhat squared like his jaw. All of this gave his face a stern look to it, rough even.

"Captain Mackey, at your service." He introduced with a salute. His voice was gravely, an accent underlining his words. "You must be Col. Mustang."

"That I am. What exactly is going on here?" Roy asked.

"Didn't they tell you over the phone?" Mackey replied.

"We were informed that rebels were raiding one of our warehouses. We were ordered to contain the problem." Roy explained.

"Well you can forget all about that, this officially turned into a hostage situation about thirty five minutes ago." Mackey revealed. Whispers were already being passed from soldier to soldier at this point. "I received orders to take command of whatever men you brought and spread them out where I see fit."

"Under whose command?!" Grand barked, stepping to the front.

"The Fuhrer's." Mackey replied, scowling at Grand. The Brigadier General backed down, seeming to be phased by this.

"My men and I will give you full cooperation, Captain." Roy said with a salute. Mackey nodded. He wasted no time, barking orders here and there, commanding the troops firmly and with ease. He set up four blockades, one to cover each side of the warehouse. After everyone was assigned their posts, he called Grand, Roy, and oddly enough, Tommy into his tent. As he entered, Tommy caught a glimpse of a symbol painted on the side of the warehouse. He took a mental note of it. Mackey's tent was set up with a large desk, two bright lanterns positioned at each upper corner, illuminating the room, as well as the map, charts, and various other documents on the desktop.

"Well this turned into a real mess." Grand grumbled.

"That's an understatement." Roy retorted. "What happened here?" He asked, turning to Mackey.

"Everything was going smoothly as planned. We were to enter from the back of the building and proceed to clear out the warehouse. It was a five man team, more than enough to do the job quietly and efficiently." Mackey explained.

"Well, you know what they say about best laid plans." Tommy replied.

"No shit. My men got shot to hell, two of them didn't make it, and now the whole building is locked up like a God damned prison." He growled angrily with a scowl. "We called it in. Higher up told me that you would be showing up, acting as reinforcements."

"Someone in communications screwed the pooch. Big time." Tommy remarked.

"How did this happen? What went wrong?" Grand pressed.

"I don't know. Somehow they knew we were coming, they were waiting for us. The moment they opened the doors the lights came on. Next thing I know I've got three injured, two dead, and a shit storm on my hands." Mackey explained, reaching into his pocket for a lighter. He grabbed a cigarette off the desk and lit it up, breathing in a long drag and exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.

"Well like I said, Captain, you have our full cooperation. What do you need?" Roy asked. Mackey looked over at Tommy.

"Him." He replied. Tommy's eyes widened a touch.

"Me? You need my help?" Tommy asked.

"You need his help?" Grand asked, grimacing.

"A little birdy told me you had some experience with handling hostage situations." Mackey explained. Tommy knew who this "birdy" actually was. Only a handful of people new about the hostage negotiation that Tommy took part in, and only one of them had the power to use it as a recommendation.

"I don't know what Bradley told you, but that was a long time ago, and it was one time." Tommy replied coldly.

"That one time promoted you to Second Lieutenant. Earned you a medal too, if I'm not mistaken." Roy pointed out. Tommy glared at Roy before returning his gaze to Mackey.

"How do you even know they really have a hostage? Rebels and terrorists use that as a ruse to buy time more often than you'd think." Tommy reasoned. Mackey reached under his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a dirty cloth, wrapped tightly around something. Dried blood stained the fabric. Mackey laid it on the table and unwrapped it. A severed hand, cleanly cut from whoever it belonged to, rested on the desktop. Mackey breathed in a drag of his cigarette, his eyes fixated on Tommy's face.

"Did they make any demands when they sent that out?" Roy inquired, glancing down at the hand.

"No. All they said was that they had a hostage and that if anyone came close they'll kill him and proceed with killing us. After that things went quiet." Mackey replied, exhaling smoke. Tommy thought long and hard, staring at the hand that laid on the table before him. He then strode over to the desk and looked down at the various documentation laid about. A layout of the warehouse caught his eye. He pulled it closer, studying it briefly. He looked back up at Mackey.

"If you want my help, then you're gonna have to tell me everything you know, and I do mean everything." Tommy stressed, a determination in his eye. Roy smirked and Mackey set his cigarette down in an ash tray.

"Here's what we've gathered. Our scout team says there's thirty of them. Ten guards, five for each section of the building, all circling the perimeter. The rest are inside, loading crates onto a truck." Mackey began, pointing to different sections of the layout as he spoke.

"They have ten guys outside the building?" Tommy questioned, sounding confused beyond belief. " . . . And they're constantly circling the perimeter?" He continued to question.

"That's right." Mackey confirmed.

"That's a problem. They're not just security, they're insurance." Tommy said as enemy strategies and tactics raced through his mind. "They've already proven that they're not afraid to open fire on us, so don't hold your breath on them opening up to the idea of negotiations. You need to realize that every single one them is ready to die."

"Ready to die?" Mackey repeated.

"There's ten guards. They're evenly spaced apart so that one has constant view of the other, right?" He asked. Mackey nodded. "It's a defense strategy, and a good one. If one goes down the others will alert the rest inside, and when that happens-"

"The hostage dies, and they start the mother of all fire fights with us." Roy interjected, a grim tone to his voice.

"That's right. There's no way sneak past them either. Basically, they're untouchable." Tommy further explained.

"That put them in the perfect position to attack us when we arrived. So why didn't they? They had to have seen us pull up. They could have shot us right then and there." Grand pointed out.

"They don't want any unnecessary bloodshed. Killing two soldiers and wounding three more was enough to get their point across." Tommy replied.

"Even still, no demands?" Roy pondered aloud, leaning against Mackey's desk.

"If they aren't demanding anything, that means they already have what they want, which, I'm assuming, is whatever is in that warehouse. What else can you tell us, Mackey?" Tommy asked.

"They're well armed. Unnecessarily well armed. Armored too." He replied, picking his cigarette back up and resting it in the crook of his mouth.

"How so?" Grand asked, sounding intrigued.

"They're covered head to toe in protective body armor, and as far as weaponry goes, you name it, they've probably got it. Heavy machine guns, high caliber rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and God knows what else." Mackey listed.

"That's ludicrous, where would they get that kind of weaponry?"

"Why would they need that kind of weaponry?" Roy asked. Tommy suddenly darted out of the tent, marching over to the truck he arrived in. He made his way to the back of the vehicle and there, reclined in his seat, was Vamore, staring lazily up at the tarp that made up the roof of the truck's back end.

"Unless you got something to say to me, bugger off." He yawned, bored off his ass.

"Who else knows what you are?" Tommy asked, just as Grand, Roy, and Mackey caught up with him.

"Hell if I know. Go take it up with Grand." Vamore replied nonchalantly, shooing Tommy away, as if he were a fly. Tommy growled angrily as he grabbed Vamore by the hand and yanked him out of the back of the truck, tossing him to the ground, pinning him there, his knee pressed hard against his throat.

"I'm getting real tired of your shit!" Tommy growled furiously.

"Cooper, that's enough!" Roy barked.

"No." Grand said simply. Roy glared at him. "Let them work this out. Besides, I already know who's going to win." He continued, grinning. Vamore shot his hand upwards, striking Tommy in the chest with an open palm. Tommy's back slammed against the truck, and before he could even catch his breath, Vamore was already on his feet, his hand wrapped tight around Tommy's throat.

"Let me make one thing clear," He hissed, his voice altering. His eyes began to glow yellow, and his hand slowly began to change shape, his fingernails slowly extending into sharp claws. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen close. Don't you ever put your filthy human hands on me. Got that?" He growled. Tommy coughed up words, but no one was able to make any sense of them. "What was that?" Vamore asked, loosening his grip.

"I asked . . . if you could repeat that, I didn't catch it the first time." Tommy wheezed, a shit eating grin on his face. Vamore roared as he raised his free hand, ready to claw Tommy's face off.

"Basque!" Roy shouted.

"Fine," Grand sighed. "Vamore, that's enough!" He barked. The Zoanoid dropped Tommy and stepped away from him, his body and voice returning to normal.

"Now, what exactly is this about?" He asked as Tommy picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his sore throat.

"Yeah, Cooper, what is this about?" Roy asked, helping Tommy off the ground.

"This fucker is the reason those rebels are so heavily armed." Tommy croaked, coughing hard.

"Preposterous, the existence of Zoanoids has only just started being made public. It's not possible that these idiots know what a Vamore is, let alone what a Zoanoid is." Grand argued.

"Well I think they do!" Tommy spat back. The Iron Blood Alchemist wasted no time silencing the lower ranking soldier before him, smacking him in the face with the back of his iron gloved hand. Tommy stood tall, taking the hit. He looked Grand in the eye, his lower lip bleeding. "Is that the best you got, you dumb gorilla?" He hissed, grinning. Grand just stared at him.

"That's enough, both of you!" Roy barked, standing between the two. Grand marched off, Vamore following him closely as they headed back to Mackey's tent.

"That was a little unnecessary." Mackey said, tossing his cigarette to the ground, crushing the embers with the heel of his boot.

"Meh, he held back. He usually hits harder." Tommy replied, wiping the blood from his lip.

"I think he was talking about you." Roy pointed out, his voice harsh and stern.

"I was." Mackey chuckled. Tommy just rolled his eyes and stumbled back to the tent, Mackey and Roy following him.

"I could be in and out of there before they know it, and the hostage won't have a scratch on him. I'm faster than I look, General." Vamore argued, just as the three soldiers walked in.

"Don't be ridiculous. Speed isn't everything, you need to be strong too, and you're no where near the strength of a Gregole. You're not as bullet proof either." Grand pointed out, scowling.

"Good to know." Tommy whispered to himself. He walked past the arguing couple and examined the layout closer, looking for anything that could aid them. He inspected the walls, the windows, the doors, examined every inch of the building as he mentally strolled through it's halls. That's when he came across a small square in the middle of the complex that didn't seem to have any right being there. "Mackey, what's this?" He asked. Grand and Vamore hushed themselves, listening carefully as Tommy spoke. Mackey stood beside him, looking down at the layout.

"Where?" He asked. Tommy pointed to the square.

"That, what is that?" He repeated. The Captain looked closer, inspecting the barely noticeable detail.

"Fuck my uncle, it's an entrance way." Mackey chuckled with excitement.

"What?!" Roy joined in, looking down at the map.

"Where does it lead?" Grand asked. Mackey walked over to a trunk that sat in the corner of the tent. He quickly flipped it open and started rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. He darted back the the table and laid out a larger map, this one detailing the land around the warehouse.

"This area used to be a coal mining site, but when the resources dried up around here they closed most of the mines down. I'm willing bet that the warehouse used to be coal refinery and that this entrance leads to a mineshaft." Mackey explained, holding the map of the land open.

"Where's the closest external mineshaft opening?" Tommy asked eagerly. Mackey ran his finger tips across the page is his hand, his eyes scanning the area around them. His fingers stopped suddenly and he pointed.

"There, about a ten minute drive away if we leave now. I can have a team of thirteen loaded into a truck and we can-"

"No." Roy interjected, cutting him off.

"What? Why not?" Mackey asked, furrowing his brow.

"You're rushing ahead, Captain. If you drove off with a truck full of men, all armed to the teeth, it could spook the rebels, and that could end badly. No, we need to be smart about this." Roy slowly rationalized, bringing a hand to his chin as he pondered.

" . . . I'll go." Tommy suddenly offered. Roy looked at him warily. "I'll go myself, on foot. They won't notice me, they're too busy watching out for everyone else." He pointed out.

"You got a point. Plus, if it's just you, the chances of getting caught are slim. You could sneak in, nab the hostage and get out undetected." Roy slowly reasoned, thinking it through carefully. "However, I don't like the idea of you going in there by yourself. It would have to be a two man job."

"Well maybe . . . " Tommy paused. It hit him like a bolt of lightning. A tiny smile curved his lips. " . . . I'll take Vamore." He finally said. They all had their eyes lit up with shock, Roy more so.

"Cooper, are you serious?" Roy asked, questioning his friends sanity, wondering again if he had finally snapped.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but let's be honest, if things go hairy, I'd rather have a living weapon at my side as opposed to nothing." Tommy explained, frowning.

"The boy's finally making some sense, Mustang. I say we go ahead with this plan." Grand butted in, smiling, pleased with how the scenario was playing out.

"Keep smiling, Grand. Keep smiling." Tommy thought to himself.

"Okay, we'll go with this plan, but he does what Lt. Cooper orders him to do. Got it?" Roy stressed, glaring at the Iron Blood Alchemist.

"Well, Vamore? Think you can manage that?" Grand asked.

"I think I can." He replied with a smug grin.

"There's some gear you can use in the tent next to us. Take what you need." Mackey said, folding the map of the area up and putting it back into the trunk.

"Alright then. You have fifteen minutes prep time. Go." Roy ordered. They both gave a salute and turned for the door.

"Think I'll look good in black?" Vamore jokingly asked with a smirk as Tommy opened the tent door.

"I'm ordering you not to talk to me until the fifteen minutes prep time is over." He responded. Tommy left the tent and made his way over to the makeshift armory directly ahead of him. He pulled open the tarp that acted as a door, but stopped suddenly. He turned back to find Vamore standing half way between the two tents, staring at the warehouse. "You coming?" Tommy asked. Vamore didn't reply. "Right, I ordered you not to talk. At least you can follow that order." He mumbled, turning away and heading inside. Vamore stared at the warehouse, his hand balling into a fist. Grand's words rang in his brain like a tune that wouldn't go away.

"Not as strong as Gregole, eh? We'll see about that." He growled lowly to himself. Tommy looked to his left and right as he stepped in. There was a small bed to the right of the entrance, propped up by a wooden frame. It was stiff and killed your back, but it was better than sleeping on the ground. Stacked beside it were three crates of ammo and some rifle racks. To his left stood three individual lockers and a chest, similar to the one in Mackey's tent. Tommy walked over to and opened it up. It was the standard stuff, just extra pairs of clothes in case anyone needed to change their shirt or pants. He sifted through the spare garments until he found a slim black turtle neck that was around his size. He figured it was more stealthy than the gray shirt he was wearing at the moment. He took his holster and shirt off, slipping the turtle neck on. He closed the lid of the chest, tossing his gray shirt onto it. As he stood up, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. One of the locker doors was slightly ajar, exposing a small twenty two caliber handgun resting on a shelf. Tommy took a quick glance over his shoulder before he snatched up the pistol, sticking it in the back of his pants. He heard the rustling of the tent door flap opening.

"About time you got your creepy ass in here." He groaned as he turned to look at Vamore. To his surprise it was Hawkeye who had entered the tent, with a terribly confused look on her face. Tommy gritted his teeth and blushed, embarrassed. "Oh . . . hi. Uh, sorry about that, I thought you were . . . yeah." He mumbled.

"It's okay." She giggled lightly.

"What's up?" He asked, his holster in his hand.

"I heard you're sneaking into the warehouse." She explained.

"That's right. If everything goes smoothly we should have the hostage out of there in no time." Tommy replied confidently. She had a worrisome look in her eyes, her lips dipping into a slight frown. " . . . You heard Vamore's going with me, didn't you?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea? Taking him along with you?" She questioned.

"Honestly? No. In fact, it's the worst ideas I've ever had." He replied. His eyes flicked up as he thought for a brief moment. " . . . Okay, maybe not my worst idea, but definitely in my top ten." He joked. Riza shook her head, quietly laughing. She took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye.

"Make sure to keep an eye on him." She advised.

"I'll keep on eye on him, if you do something for me." He replied.

"And that would be?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow. He handed her his holster, his large handgun still hanging in it.

"Keep an eye on that for me. I don't like bringing it on stealth missions. It's . . . kinda important to me." He confessed. She held the leather straps in her hand gently. She looked down at the gun as it glistened in the dim light of the tent's interior. She looked back up at him.

"I'll make sure it gets back to you." She said with a smile. Tommy smiled back.

"Knock knock." Mackey said, poking his head in. He spotted Riza and smirked a little. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, Captain, I was just leaving." Riza replied as she strolled passed him. Mackey chuckled quietly to himself as he walked up to Tommy.

"You and her, eh?" He implied.

"No no, just friends." Tommy assured him.

"Right." Mackey said with a cheeky smirk. "Anyway, I wanted to give you this, it can get pretty disorienting out there, so I figured you could use it." He carried on, handing Tommy a small map. Tommy shoved the folded piece of paper into his back pocket.

"Thanks, Cap." Tommy replied, looking over Mackey's shoulder.

"If you need anything else just ask." He replied, turning to leave. He stopped when Tommy's hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at him, confused. "Something wrong?"

"Between you and me," Tommy said in a hushed tone. "You think you could tell me just what the hell this place is?" Tommy asked sternly.

"What . . . what do you mean?" Mackey asked.

"Come one Mackey, don't pull that with me. Eastern headquarters only has twelve official military owned warehouses, and they're all packed together in Eastern headquarters' train yard, not in the middle of bloody nowhere. I also know for a fact that none of them have a giant C painted on the side instead of a number." Tommy pointed out, carefully watching Mackey's face.

" . . . You catch on quick, eh?" Mackey replied, knowing that the jig was in fact up.

"You bet your ass I do." Tommy replied, letting go off Mackey. He looked over his shoulder and turned back to face Tommy.

"Look, I can't say much," He whispered. "All I know is the higher ups are keeping this mission quiet, quieter than usual. Rumor has it that this warehouse contains experimental weapons, and that's why it's such a high priority." Mackey revealed, keeping his voice low. Before Tommy could ask any questions, Vamore entered the tent. He walked past them, kneeling down in front of the chest.

"Thanks for the map, Captain." Tommy said, giving him a nod. Mackey slowly nodded back.

"I hope it helps." Mackey replied. He turned and left the tent, Tommy following. He watched as Mackey walked over and headed back into his tent. Tommy turned and stared at the warehouse. He watched as the men guarding it's exterior did their routine of walking the parameter. The armor they wore covered them head to toe, and wasn't too different from the armor that stored young Alphonse's soul. The biggest differences being that the helmets were slimmer and more straight forward, nothing elaborate. The other difference was that they decided to paint their armor black and red. Tommy had to admit. It was an intimidating color scheme. They looked fearsome as they marched, heavy rifles in their arms, a distinct pride in their step. Tommy had worn similar armor before. The Smiters wore advanced body armor that the military dubbed "Muscle Armor". It was designed to both protect the wearer, as well as give them a slight boost in strength. They were limited in stock, and expensive as hell to replace or even repair. Tommy suddenly cursed the moment he thought about those blasted suits. His head throbbed so suddenly that it brought him to his knees. He clutched his face, his eyes burning. Images from the past started to rise up from the depths of his mind, burning his retinas. The voices slowly started up, thumping in his mind.

"No, not now, not now." He hissed in pain, trying to keep himself quiet.

"Look at you," A deep voice chuckled. Tommy looked up, glaring at the towering figure donned in Muscle Armor. His face was a shadow, a blur, but Tommy knew who it was, the voice alone gave it away. As he stepped forward the environment around him slowly caught fire, until everything was a burning ember. "This is what happens to men and women like you and me. Our minds shatter and we can't handle the real world anymore. We burn out."

"You're not real. You're just a fucked up memory that won't go away." Tommy growled, wiping his tears away, the heat around him scorching his face and exposed skin.

"Memory or not, what I say is still the truth." He hissed. A sawed off shotgun materialized in his hands, aimed at Tommy's face. The pounding sensation in Tommy's chest grew too intense, unbearable even, it felt like his heart was ready to explode.

"Why won't you go away? Why can't you leave me alone?" Tommy whimpered. The figure thought for a moment, gripping the handle of the shotgun tighter.

"Because . . . that wouldn't be any fun." He snarled. He squeezed the trigger, shooting Tommy in the face with reality. Tommy fell back, looking up at the night sky. The pain in his head was gone, the heat in his face and skin fading slowly, his heart rate dropping back down to a normal rate. He sat up, wiping the sweat from his face and neck. He got to his feet, his knees still weak and wobbly. He turned and froze. Vamore, dressed all in black, stood only a few feet away from him, grinning wildly.

"My my, aren't you one sick puppy." He snickered. Tommy glared at him, wiping his eyes one last time, breathing heavily.

"Our fifteen minutes is up, soldier. Move out!" He barked, running past him, into the distance, heading for the mineshaft. Vamore watched him closely as he sprinted across the fields.

"Yes Sir." He happily sneered.

* * *

Roy stood at the forefront of the northern blockade, watching as the rebels patrolled the perimeter. Tommy and Vamore had left for there sneaking mission ten minutes ago. Roy figured they would enter the warehouse shortly, if the mineshaft was open and not collapsed. He ran the scenario in his mind a thousand times over. Tommy was no rookie when it came to missions that required stealth, but still, with Vamore there it could complicate things. Roy was snapped out of his thought when the armored rebels stopped walking suddenly. Everyone watched closely, their eyes glued to the scene as they whispered amongst themselves. Grand and Mackey stepped out of the tent upon hearing the commotion.

"What's going on?" Grand asked.

"They stopped walking." Roy uttered, his eyes transfixed on them. They stood there for minutes on end, completely motionless. They all suddenly turned and ran inside the warehouse. Silence fell over the scene. The wind rustled through the plains, sending a chill down everyone's spine. Ed and Al gave each other a nervous glance.

"What the hell just happened?" Ed asked.

"I'm . . . I'm not sure." Al replied.

"What do we do, Col. Mustang?" Mackey asked. Roy thought for a moment. "Colonel?"

" . . . Lt. Hawkeye!" He barked sternly.

"Yes Sir!" She replied with a salute.

"You'll be in charge of Team One. You're to secure first section of the warehouse. We're going back to the original plan. Gear up and report back to me as soon as you're ready. Lt. Havoc, you'll be in charge of Team Two, and you are to do the same." He ordered.

"Yes Sir." Havoc and Riza said at the same time, saluting. They ran off to the armory as fast as they could. Roy turned to Mackey.

"Captain Mackey, you'll be joining Lt. Hawkeye's team, understood?" Roy questioned.

"You can count on me, Sir." Mackey replied confidently, saluting. He too ran off to the armory. Roy commanded teams One and Two, ordering them to prepare for an assault. He turned towards the warehouse, staring at it. Without the rebels patrolling the exterior, the warehouse gave off an ominous vibe. He was starting to hope that the entrance to the mineshaft had collapsed long ago.

* * *

Vamore stared down into the mouth of the mineshaft, which surprisingly still stood tall. Had it not been for the danger sign posted near the lip of the entrance, the both of them would have fell straight in. He picked up a rock and let it slip from his hand, into the pitch black abyss. The rock cracked loudly against another hard surface, echoing deeper into the cave until finally fading.

"It's about an eight foot drop." Vamore said, looking back at Tommy, who was studying the map Mackey gave him. "You sure this is the right one?"

"Yeah, this is it." Tommy replied, folding the map up and sticking it into his back pocket. He joined Vamore, staring into the rocky void with him. He took the first leap in, Tommy following behind him. They landed on the ground gracefully, swallowed whole by darkness. Tommy stumbled over to the wall, feeling around, his fingers brushing against the rocky surface. He eventually found a large switch. He flipped it down, the hinges crying out in a terrible screech, rust flaking off the old metal. Small, dimly lit light bulbs slowly came to life above their heads.

"Not a fan of the dark?" Vamore teased, looking back at him.

"Start walking and keep your mouth shut." Tommy ordered. Vamore did as he was told, scowling. The two walked in uneasy silence, the hum of ancient light bulbs dancing above their heads. The air inside the tunnel was old and tasted of dirt. Cobwebs decorated the interior, untouched for years on end. Spiders and other creepy crawlies had made their homes in the abandoned mine-carts that were strewn about. Pick axes, helmets, gloves, and lanterns were scattered here and there, a thick layer of brown dust coating it all. They came to a sudden halt, a ladder standing before them. It led up to a metal hatch, caked in rust.

"After you?" Vamore offered, smirking.

"Nice try. You can go up there and open it up. If someone's gonna get shot I'd rather it be you than me." Tommy replied. Vamore groaned under his breath and climbed up the ladder, Tommy watching him carefully, slowly reaching for the pistol in the back of his pants. Vamore carefully pushed up on the metal hatch. It wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he pushed. He then noticed the edges of the metal surface.

"Son of a bitch, it's welded shut. This whole trip was a waste of time." He grumbled, climbing down the ladder. He turned to face Tommy, coming face to face with the end of a pistol barrel instead. Vamore stared at it calmly, slowly pointing his gaze towards the gun's wielder. Tommy glared at him, a primal anger in his eyes.

"I wouldn't say it's a complete waste of time." Tommy replied. "Got us some alone time."

"You know, I've met some crazy bastards in my time, but you take the cake." He laughed. "You may have survived a Gregole encounter, but you can't hope to beat me in a fair fight."

"I know. Hence the gun, dipstick," Tommy said sarcastically, with a smirk. "It's better than me trying to take you on in a fist fight. You may not be as strong as Gregole, but you're strong enough to be a problem. Again, hence the gun."

"Cocky little shit, aren't you? Well I think you're forgetting one thing." Vamore chuckled, glancing upwards.

"Oh, you're talking about the rebels and that hostage of theirs. See, I'm pretty sure the hostage is already dead." Tommy replied coldly.

"Oh really? Do tell." Vamore replied with a mock interest in his voice.

"Hostages are . . . time consuming, fickle. They're nothing but trouble for these kinds of guys. They have a dead-set goal in mind, and they know that time is against them, they know they can't keep this up. So them keeping a hostage is out of the question, and since that hatch is conveniently welded shut, I don't have to worry about them coming down here and causing even more trouble for me." Tommy explained, a grin slowly growing on his face as he spoke. He pulled back the hammer, readying his shot.

"You forgot one other detail." Vamore pointed out.

"What's that?" Tommy asked.

"I'm faster than I look!" He growled. With an enhanced and inhuman speed, he swung his leg upwards, kicking the gun out of Tommy's hand. He watched as the small pistol flew back, landing ten feet behind him. As he turned back to face Vamore, he could only watch as the Zoanoid dashed towards him, eyes glowing yellow. Tommy didn't stand a chance, he couldn't react fast enough, he couldn't even brace himself before Vamore punched him in the stomach. The powerful blow knocked the wind out of him, launched him into the air, sending him flying back. He collided with the ground, gasping for air. The lights above flickered for a moment before slowly dying, casting them both in darkness. Whether it was Vamore's doing or just the power giving out do to old age, Tommy couldn't say. He rolled onto his knees, his hands grasping blindly for the small pistol.

"Dammit, where is it?" He growled in frustration and panic.

"Looking for something?" Vamore hissed, his voice echoing in the shadows. Tommy froze. He slowly picked himself up off the ground, his eyes slowly scanning the darkness from left to right, searching for any indication of where his enemy was hiding. He breathed slowly, quietly, slowing his heart beat down. His ears perked up, the sound of rocks crushing together as someone took a step. Tommy quickly turned in place, catching a glimpse of Vamore's glowing eyes before he raked his claws down Tommy's chest. He fell back to the ground, his chest burning with a searing pain. His head spun from disorientation. He could hear Vamore moving about, never staying in one place for more than a moment. He couldn't risk transforming here, otherwise the mineshaft would collapse and they would both be stuck down in the abyss. His only option was to run.

He leaped to his feet, sprinting blindly through the cavern of sharp rocks and ancient mining equipment, bumping into walls and tripping over his feet. Tommy could feel the searing pain in his chest getting worse. He brought a hand to the wound on his chest and felt a large wet spot. Vamore's claws had cut deeper than Tommy had previously thought, and the running only made his pain increase; a powerful burning sensation spreading through his body. He breathed heavily, huffing and puffing, trying desperately to stay conscious. He was ready to collapse onto the ground when he saw the entrance of the mine. He exerted all the energy he had remaining, making a mad dash for his escape. Tommy jumped on top of a mine-cart, kicking off it, and grabbing onto the lip of the mine entrance. Tommy started to pull himself up.

Vamore smirked. He stepped out from behind Tommy, digging his claws deep into Tommy's back, scraping downwards. Tommy cried out in pain, loosing his upper body strength. His arms gave out, sending him crashing down eight feet. He landed on his back with a powerful slam that knocked the wind out of him. He laid there on the cold hard ground, looking up at the mouth of the cave, trying to catch his breath, coughing roughly. Vamore stood over at him, looked down at him, smiling.

"I have to admit, you're one stubborn bastard. It's the one thing I like about you," He admitted. "That, and your taste in women." He chuckled.

"Guy . . . Guyv . . . " Tommy mumbled breathlessly in an attempt to transform. Vamore looked over at the mine-carts strewn about the area.

"I know you're already as good as dead, but just in case you make a miraculous recovery . . . "He paused. He strolled over and grunted as he picked up a mine-cart. He then strolled back to Tommy, whistling a jaunty little tune, and brought the wooden iron framed cart down on top of Tommy's legs, crushing them. Tommy screeched in agonizing pain, his bones splintering under the intense weight. "There, that should do it. Now do me a favor. Stay there while I go comfort your girlfriend." Vamore said, leaping out of the mineshaft.

"No! You stay away from her!" Tommy angrily whimpered, trying to fight through the pain. He could hear Vamore laughing in the distance, but it soon faded, and then . . . nothing.


End file.
